A delegation delegation from the National Meteorological Services of Niger Republic and the Gambia National Meteorological Services are understudying the revolution in Nigerian Meteorological services with the aim of adopting some of the capabilities.
Receiving the delegation on Monday in Abuja, the Director-General, NiMet Prof. Mansur Matazu said the Nigerian Meteorological space has acquired a lot of capabilities and other African countries are leveraging the facilities.
Also during the meeting, the NiMet DG said the agency is recovering and digitizing Nigeria’s 130 years old weather data for the proper history of Nigeria’s weather patterns.
Both delegations are in Nigeria for a ten-day study exchange at NiMet.
The NiMet DG also said the 130 -year-old mining capability is also what the visitors would also understudy in the course of their visit.
We have 130 years old data that we are recovering and digitizing. After rescuing the data, we will share these experiences with them as well” he said.
The NiMet DG speaking further on the mission of the delegation said: “The two delegations on study exchange to NiMet are exploring different areas of interest. For the Niger Republic, what is critical for them is the seasonal climate prediction that Nigeria has been implementing for the past 15 years. We will do a lot of exchange and sharing of experience from seasonal climate prediction as well as numeric weather prediction.”
NiMet has “a robust numeric weather prediction that is capable of providing some of these exchanges of ideas and innovations to the team,” he said adding that the issue of climate change – both impact, vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation” are areas NiMet has a robust capability to share.
“Just recently, NiMet commissioned research across the eco-climatic zones of the country. Also, the Minister will on Tuesday unveil the seasonal climate prediction and also a book published by NiMet on impacts, vulnerability, adaptation, and mitigation strategies in Nigeria. It is what we also want to share our experiences with the Niger Team. Also, infrastructure and database management. Nigeria is a wide country and we have more than 100 offices and managing these facilities is critical, with the support of the government, we have priorities for infrastructure development across the country” and the team will also look at what we have he said.
In his comments, Mr. Lawan Katiellou Gaptia, the National Director of Meteorology Services of Niger, said Nigeria and Nigeria are twin countries, so it’s easier for Niger to come to Nigeria than go anywhere else in the world.
He also advocated for more cooperation among African countries. “In Africa, we have to change the way we do things. Rather than always resort to the northern countries, we can develop South-South cooperation. Nigeria is more advanced than Niger in all the fields and Nigeria has more resources” hence this study visit he said.
“In Niger, we are in the process of modernizing our metrological services. We are also having a new weather prediction model and we are establishing 8 meteorology regions” he said adding that the study tour would help them with the nee farcicalities they are building.
