BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
As global efforts intensify toward achieving Net Zero in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has commenced discussions with US-based Global Green Development Group and NOAH ReGen to collaborate on the Jatropha-To-Biofuel program.
The initiative, which is set to be implemented across ten Nigerian states, aims to harness Jatropha plants for biofuel production, leveraging climate data to enhance sustainability.
At a high-level meeting held at NiMet Headquarters on March 20, 2025, Professor Charles Anosike, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, welcomed the partnership, emphasizing its alignment with NiMet’s core mandate of monitoring atmospheric conditions, analyzing climate data, and providing forecasts to drive socio-economic development.
“NiMet has a wide ecosystem of climate change actors and partners. We also engage with over 70 million subsistence farmers across Nigeria, providing them with seasonal climate predictions (SCP) to support agricultural productivity.
“Through this partnership, we can share our climate and weather data to strengthen the Jatropha-To-Biofuel program and enhance its success,” Anosike stated.
Beyond supporting biofuel production, he added that the collaboration would enable all parties to respond more effectively to climate-related disasters, improving resilience and sustainability efforts.
Speaking on the necessity of NiMet’s involvement, Mary Flowers, Chief Executive Officer of Global Green Development Group, underscored the crucial role of meteorological data in driving the project forward.
“We need to join forces because data will drive everything. NiMet’s climate records, which span over a century, are indispensable to what we are planning. NiMet is the most important agency in this process, and with its data, we can move to the market much faster,” she said.
Also speaking, Frederic Degret, Chief Executive Officer of NOAH ReGen, highlighted the Jatropha-To-Biofuel program as a key component of the Re’Planet Ecosystem, an initiative launched in partnership with the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
“The Re’Planet Ecosystem is a game-changing toolkit and a global blended financial platform dedicated to nature-based assets and carbon credits (NBACCs). It enables nations to structure debt-for-nature swaps, unlock value, and monetize high-potential NBACCs, including blue carbon,” Degret explained.
