The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has reaffirmed its commitment to advancing climate-smart agriculture and strengthening the resilience of Nigeria’s agribusiness sector following the launch of the Climate-Smart Agribusiness Partnership for Resilience (CSAPR) Project by the Federal Government, in collaboration with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zones (SAPZ) Programme and other stakeholders.
The project, unveiled on Friday in Abuja, is designed to strengthen climate resilience, improve agricultural productivity and expand the use of Climate Information Services (CIS) across Nigeria’s agricultural value chains.
Speaking at the event, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, Dr. Marcus Olaniyi Ogunbiyi, described the initiative as a major milestone in the country’s efforts to build a more productive, inclusive and climate-resilient agricultural sector.
He explained that the project would integrate Climate Information Services into agribusiness solutions through collaboration among government institutions, development partners, financial institutions, the private sector and farmer organisations.
Dr. Ogunbiyi commended NiMet, IFAD, the Gates Foundation and other partners for their contributions to promoting climate-smart agriculture and resilient food systems, urging stakeholders to sustain collaboration aimed at expanding climate-smart agribusiness opportunities, improving farmers’ access to financing and enhancing livelihoods.
Also speaking, the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet and Permanent Representative of Nigeria to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), Prof. Charles Anosike, described the project as a timely initiative that aligns with the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
He stressed that timely, accurate, accessible and actionable weather, climate and water-related information remains essential for climate-smart agriculture, sustainable food systems and resilience across agricultural value chains.
According to Prof. Anosike, farmers, agribusinesses, financial institutions, insurers, processors, logistics providers and investors all depend on reliable climate intelligence to make informed decisions, manage risks, protect investments and improve productivity.
He called for climate information to be translated into simple, localised and actionable advisories while advocating stronger public-private partnerships to expand the delivery of climate services to farmers and agribusinesses nationwide.
The NiMet Director-General reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to supporting the project through its Seasonal Climate Prediction, agrometeorological bulletins, impact-based forecasts, early warning advisories and digital climate advisory platforms.
In her remarks, the IFAD Country Director, Ms. Dede Ekoue, commended the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security for providing leadership on the initiative and acknowledged NiMet’s technical contributions to the design of the project.
She said the CSAPR Project would promote financially viable public-private partnerships that integrate Climate Information Services into agricultural value chains, enabling farmers and agribusinesses to better adapt to climate variability while improving resilience, productivity and investment outcomes.
Speaking on behalf of the National Programme Coordinator of the SAPZ Programme, Dr. Kabir Yusuf, a representative highlighted early achievements of the initiative, including the installation of automated weather stations in Ogun and Kano states, the commencement of climate information dissemination and the distribution of digital devices to leaders of farmer organisations to facilitate timely weather advisory services.
The CSAPR Project is financed by the Gates Foundation and implemented by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security through the SAPZ Programme with support from IFAD and NiMet. The initiative is expected to strengthen climate resilience, enhance food security and improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by embedding Climate Information Services into sustainable agribusiness solutions through effective public-private partnerships.
