Nigeria and India have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for collaboration in meteorological science, technical research and development. The MoU was signed by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) director-general, Prof. Mansur Matazu and the director-general of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra during the recent executive council meeting of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) in Geneva, Switzerland.
The MoU aims to provide a bilateral relationship between NiMet and its Indian counterpart towards meteorological development in both countries. The parties have agreed to work together on WMO-standardised services in numerical weather prediction capability, meteorological sensor designing, satellite meteorology, as well as scientific research on meteorology and its applications in various sectors, ‘Nowcasting’ and early warning capabilities and capacity-building activities.
The MoU also stated that “all inventions, improvements, original works and/or discoveries made during collaborative projects will remain the property of both parties. Both parties are expected to ensure that such cooperation complies with their respective laws, rules, regulations and international agreements to which both parties are signatories.
To ensure seamless implementation of the MoU, the two countries resolved to set up a technical committee of six members (three members representing each of the parties) to implement the MoU. The technical committee will advise on legal, training and financial procedures for the implementation of the MoU and monitor the progress of the collaboration and prepare annual reports.
The Minister of Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika oversaw the signing ceremony and stated that the signing of the MoU marked another milestone in the unprecedented growth of NiMet under the Buhari administration. He expressed optimism that the recent NiMet Act signed by President Muhammadu Buhari would be a tonic for further growth of the organisation both professionally and economically.
