BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the China Meteorological Administration (CMA) have strengthened their partnership with plans to deploy artificial intelligence-powered early warning systems and expand cooperation in weather, climate and aviation research.
The agreement was reached during a bilateral meeting between the Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, and the Administrator and Director-General of the China Meteorological Administration, Dr. Chen Zhenlin, on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Executive Council.
Both officials, who also serve as their respective countries’ Permanent Representatives to the WMO, reaffirmed the long-standing collaboration between Nigeria and China and agreed to deepen cooperation through the adoption and customization of the MAZU AI Early Warning Platform for Nigeria.
The initiative is expected to leverage emerging artificial intelligence technologies to improve weather forecasting, climate monitoring and early warning services, enhancing Nigeria’s capacity to predict and respond to extreme weather events.
As part of the renewed partnership, both sides also agreed to adopt a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering a wide range of collaborative activities.
These include implementation of the MAZU AI platform, staff exchange programmes, joint scientific research, data sharing, remote sensing, aviation meteorology research, knowledge exchange and scholarship opportunities.
The collaboration is expected to strengthen the technical capacity of both institutions while promoting innovation in meteorological services for the socioeconomic benefit of Nigeria and China.
The renewed partnership comes amid growing global efforts to harness artificial intelligence and advanced technologies to improve weather prediction, disaster preparedness and climate resilience.
For Nigeria, enhanced early warning capabilities are expected to support critical sectors such as agriculture, aviation, water resources and emergency management.
Olapeju is a journalist and aviation reporter.
