BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
As the world grapples with various economic volatilities leading to higher cost of doing business, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMET) is feeling the impact as there are less funds and manpower to buoy the sector.
The Director General of NiMET, Prof Mansur Matazu, stated this in Abuja on Monday, November 13, 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 stated.
He applauded 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 & energy etc.
Other products include the Marine inshore and offshore forecasts, public weather forecasts, Impact-based weather forecast, Heavy rainfall forecasts and many more.
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, make it more critical for the adoption of available credible Public Private Partnerships and Engagements that will provide innovative and cost-effective technological solutions that will proffer ease of doing business for maximum impacts.
