BY OLAPEJU OLUBI
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has emphasised that the agency’s strategic collaborations with universities and other institutions of higher learning in Nigeria will significantly enhance the livelihoods of farmers and agrarian communities.
Professor Anosike made this remark during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NiMet and Taraba State University on Thursday, February 13, 2025.
According to him, “NiMet’s network of university partners is increasing. This adds to the weather and climate data available to us in addition to the data being generated by our agency-owned weather stations. These various data enrich the accuracy of our weather forecasts in fulfillment of our mandate. These ultimately benefit the local farmers and other users”.
Professor Anosike further emphasized that NiMet remains committed to actively monitoring the implementation of its Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with universities and other higher institutions to ensure that all parties uphold their commitments and achieve the intended objectives.
Responding, the Vice Chancellor of Taraba State University, Professor Sunday Paul Bako said that the aim of partnering with NiMet is to be able to meet the needs of the immediate university community and the larger community which is agrarian.
“We have departments of Geography, Agriculture, and others including Ecotourism at the Taraba State University that would benefit from the partnership and intervention. Our agricultural faculty runs extension programs so with the data generated from the weather station, we can raise awareness on sustainable farming and climate-smart practices”.
The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is set for an initial duration of four years, with the possibility of renewal.
The overarching goal of this collaboration is to advance research and initiatives in meteorology, climatology, and climate change across Nigeria.
By strengthening the capacities of both parties, the partnership aims to develop innovative tools that will enhance the delivery of critical products and services to sectors reliant on meteorological and climate-related insights.
