By Nkechi Eze
The Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, participated in the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) High-level Dialogue on Climate Science Information for Climate Finance and the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange (SOFE) held in Beijing, China.
The five-day event, which took place from September 14 to 18, 2026, brought together senior meteorological officials and stakeholders to examine how climate science and meteorological services can better support climate finance, disaster risk reduction and people-centred early warning systems.
The high-level dialogue focused on strengthening the leadership role of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in mobilising climate finance, while exploring ways to align scientific and technical capacities with risk-informed early warning systems that respond effectively to the needs of vulnerable communities.
Discussions also centred on transitioning from technical assistance to sustainable investments by expanding practical cooperation between meteorological institutions and multilateral financing entities.
Participants further examined strategies for strengthening NMHS leadership, strategic thinking and institutional partnerships to improve access to climate finance and enhance the delivery of climate services.
Held back-to-back with the high-level dialogue, the 53rd SOFE featured a field exchange to Fujian Province, where participants were exposed to the implementation of China’s Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap and Universal (MAZU) platform.
The MAZU platform, an artificial intelligence-driven meteorological early warning solution, supports the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative and broader disaster risk reduction efforts.
The field exchange provided opportunities for technical exchanges, field visits and peer learning, with participants examining practical approaches to multi-hazard early warning and the use of emerging technologies to strengthen disaster preparedness and response.
Anosike’s participation provided an opportunity for Nigeria to engage with international meteorological institutions and partners on emerging approaches to climate science, financing, artificial intelligence and early warning systems, areas considered critical to strengthening climate resilience and disaster risk management.
