NiMet, NASRDA Renew Alliance to Advance Weather Monitoring, Eye Meteorological Satellite for Nigeria

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) have renewed their commitment to strengthening collaboration on earth observation and weather monitoring, with plans to jointly pursue the development of a meteorological satellite to improve climate services and drive sustainable national development.

The renewed partnership was reaffirmed on Thursday when the Director General and Chief Executive of NASRDA, Dr. Mathew Adepoju, paid a courtesy visit to the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike.

The two agencies said their collaboration would harness the strengths of their respective mandates to enhance earth system observations, improve weather and climate information, and support socio-economic planning across critical sectors of the economy.

Speaking during the meeting, Prof. Anosike underscored the strategic role of meteorological observations in protecting lives and property, strengthening disaster preparedness, supporting climate-smart development, and building resilient communities.

He said NiMet remains committed to leveraging technology, including Artificial Intelligence, to improve the accuracy and efficiency of its weather and climate services.

“Our collaboration is essential to strengthening earth observation in Nigeria. By combining our expertise, we can deliver more reliable data and services that support informed decision-making and national development,” Anosike said.

On his part, Dr. Adepoju called for closer cooperation between both agencies in developing a meteorological satellite, describing the initiative as a strategic step that could position Nigeria as a leader in space-based weather observation in Africa.

He also proposed collaboration in providing meteorological support for the operationalisation of hot-air balloons and expanding knowledge-sharing initiatives through joint research, training, and skills development programmes.

Recognising the need to unlock greater investment in earth observation infrastructure, both agency heads advocated increased private sector participation in the sector.

They further agreed to review and update their existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reflect current priorities and create a more practical framework for collaboration with measurable outcomes.

The strengthened partnership is expected to enhance Nigeria’s capacity in weather forecasting, climate monitoring, disaster risk reduction, agriculture, aviation, environmental management, and other sectors that depend on accurate earth observation data.