By Nkechi Eze
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is deepening its digital transformation drive with the development of a national Data Hub designed to provide farmers and other agricultural stakeholders with timely, reliable and location-specific weather and climate information.
The platform, developed in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Crea2Solutions, has advanced from the design and mock-up stage to an advanced Minimum Viable Product (MVP), with NiMet’s weather and climate services currently undergoing testing.
The initiative, which commenced in February 2026 under the Climate Services for Youth (CS4Y) and AGRA programmes, is expected to strengthen the use of climate information in agricultural planning, risk management and decision-making.
The development represents an effort to address longstanding challenges in the delivery of climate services to Nigeria’s agricultural sector, particularly fragmented data sources, limited coordination among information providers and difficulties in translating technical forecasts into practical advice for farmers and other end users.
Through stakeholder engagements co-hosted by NiMet and ILRI, the partners have been working to map Nigeria’s agro-meteorological data and advisory landscape, identify information and delivery gaps, strengthen institutional collaboration and improve the communication of climate information at the last mile.
The initiative also incorporates gender and social inclusion considerations, with the partners seeking to ensure that climate information and advisory services are accessible to a broad range of agricultural stakeholders.
The Data Hub is expected to serve farmers, pastoralists, agricultural extension professionals, researchers, government institutions and private advisory providers.
NiMet’s existing digital resources, including online map rooms and agricultural climate products, are expected to provide data for the platform, supporting the development of context-specific agro-weather advisories that can assist producers in making decisions based on prevailing and forecast weather conditions.
ILRI’s role in the initiative is aligned with its broader efforts to organise research data, develop digital tools and make scientific information more accessible and useful to partners, policymakers and decision-makers.
The project also supports the Federal Government’s priorities on food security, climate-smart agriculture and digital innovation under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
With the advancement of the Data Hub, NiMet is seeking to move climate information beyond technical forecasting towards more accessible and actionable services that can help agricultural producers prepare for weather variability, manage climate-related risks and strengthen the resilience of agri-food livelihoods.
