NiMet Director General says move is to boost climate onformation for Nigerian Farmers
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Director General. Prof. Charles Anosike, has doubled down on the agency’s commitment to leverage artificial intelligence (AI)-powered weather forecasting.
Prof Anosike promised that this realignment in technology will strengthen climate and weather information delivery for Nigerian farmers.
Anosike made this known during a courtesy visit by the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale) team led by Imara Salas, Director of the AIM for Scale Secretariat, and Mohammad Farrae, Scientific Director, at NiMet headquarters in Abuja.
AIM for Scale is a consortium of global partners promoting agricultural innovation and scaling up weather services for farmers.
The visit focused on exploring areas of collaboration to co-develop strategies for expanding weather services and mobilising investments for innovative, data-driven agricultural solutions in Nigeria.
The AIM for Scale consortium includes leading global institutions such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank.
Others are U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), NASA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Community Jameel, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) and the University of Chicago’s Human-Centered Weather Forecasts and AI for Climate (AICE) initiatives.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the United Nations Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) are part of the consortium.
Speaking during the visit, Salas commended NiMet for its leadership role in advancing agricultural weather services.
She explained that AIM for Scale creates tailored innovation packages and AI-driven weather forecasts designed to deliver scalable, cost-effective solutions through partnerships with key stakeholders like NiMet.
In his remarks, Prof. Anosike thanked AIM for Scale for including Nigeria in its first African pilot project and for inviting NiMet to the recently concluded AI weather training in Abu Dhabi.
He assured that NiMet is well-prepared to support the initiative, citing the agency’s technical expertise and growing demand for accurate weather and climate data among smallholder farmers.
“NiMet is committed to deepening AI-powered weather services to improve forecasting accuracy and speed of delivery.
These innovations will enable farmers and other users to make better decisions, reduce risks, and increase productivity,” Anosike said.
He, however, highlighted existing infrastructure gaps, including limited in-situ weather stations and inadequate radar coverage, as challenges requiring attention to fully realise the benefits of AI-powered forecasting.
Following the discussions, Prof. Anosike led the AIM for Scale delegation on a guided tour of NiMet’s central forecasting facility, showcasing the agency’s operational capabilities and readiness for collaboration.
Both parties agreed to develop and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focusing on joint research and sustainable AI-driven weather service delivery for Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
