NiMet Leads Fresh Push for Stronger Early Warning System Ahead of EW4All Launch

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has intensified efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s disaster preparedness and climate resilience with a high-level inter-agency meeting ahead of the official launch of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Initiative in the country.

The meeting, held on Friday, August 21, 2026, brought together heads and representatives of critical government agencies and international partners responsible for weather and climate information, disaster management, hydrology, space technology and telecommunications.

The meeting was chaired by the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, while the Director-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Mrs Zubaida Umar, was physically present.

The Executive Vice Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida, participated virtually.

Also represented were the Director-General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NiHSA), Umar Ibrahim Mohammed; the Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr Matthew Adepoju; and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR).

Roadmap for 2026–2029 unveiled

A key outcome of the meeting was the presentation of the Nigeria EW4All Implementation Roadmap 2026–2029 by the Inter-Agency Technical Committee.

The roadmap provides a coordinated framework for implementing the initiative in Nigeria, with emphasis on strengthening the country’s ability to anticipate hazards, issue timely warnings and ensure that critical information reaches communities before disasters occur.

The Local Organising Committee also presented a progress report on preparations for the national launch, outlining milestones achieved, ongoing engagements among participating institutions and priority actions requiring attention ahead of the launch.

Focus on early action

The meeting underscored the need for stronger collaboration among institutions involved in the country’s early warning architecture.

Participants emphasised the importance of moving beyond the generation of weather, hydrological and other hazard information to ensuring that warnings are effectively communicated and translated into timely action by communities and relevant authorities.

The initiative seeks to advance people-centred, multi-hazard early warning systems, particularly for vulnerable communities exposed to floods, extreme weather, climate-related hazards and other disasters.

NiMet and its partner institutions reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening coordination and building a more effective national early warning system capable of protecting lives, livelihoods and critical infrastructure.

The inter-agency engagement is expected to provide further momentum for Nigeria’s implementation of EW4All as preparations continue towards its official national launch.