NiMET May Seek Partnership to Boost Funding

Chinedu Eze

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) is contemplating partnering with the private sector to make more funds available at its disposable; so that it would be able to effectively carry out its activities.

The Director General of NiMET, Prof. Mansur Matazu, stated this in Abuja recently at the first France-Nigeria meteorological seminar and business meetings.

According to him, the twin blight of hike in conducting meteorological business and increasing staff attritional due to inadequate remuneration (and many other challenges) were urgent matters that must be addressed to sustain weather forecasting.

He lamented that in Nigeria, the government’s funding of meteorological activities such as instrumentation, new technologies, equipment, welfare, communication, and data exchange were grossly inadequate.

As a panacea, the NiMET boss canvassed for a deepened Public Private Partnership arrangement that is sustainable.

He said: “As we all know, the world economies are struggling due to various challenges around the globe, including natural and man-made disasters, and the fact that most countries are yet to stabilise due to the devastating COVID-19 experience.

“As a Service Provider, NiMET, in line with its establishment mandate, continues to promote and implement activities in support of national socio-economic development across all sectors of the Nigerian economy,” Matazu said.

He commended the Management of Business France Nigeria (the commercial department of the French Embassy), and Prométéo, the French Meteorology & Hydrology Association, the Management and Staff of NiMet, the Conference Organising Committee, for the important meeting, which is the first of its kind between Meteorological Community in Nigeria and in France.

In attendance were Permanent Representatives of Cameroon, Ghana, Rwanda and Uganda with the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

He stated that NiMet provides round-the-clock weather information that are critical for aviation operations and development, as many must have consumed it service in making it to this workshop, adding that the agency also develops various products and services that are reliable, accurate, timely and actionable.

Some of them are; the Seasonal Climate Prediction (SCP), an Early Warning tool, which highlights vital Weather and Climate information that may affect socio-economic activities in air, land, and water transportation, agriculture, water resources, disaster management and mitigation, health, tourism, sports, power and energy, among others.

Other products include the Marine inshore and offshore forecasts, public weather forecasts, Impact-based weather forecast, Heavy rainfall forecasts and many more.

NiMET hopes for successful sustenance of these products and services amidst the economic situations and the need to adequately ensure the purpose of the United Nations Early Warning for All initiative is achieved.