The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) are seeking to broaden their collaboration by extending and expanding the duration of their existing memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The decision follows a successful one-year MoU signed between both organisations, resulting in significant progress on a project in Yola, Adamawa State. The IRC team, led by its governance coordinator, Dorcas David visited the NiMet headquarters in Abuja to discuss the proposed extension.
Under the new MoU, NiMet and IRC will work together to provide weather and climate services, as well as design projects aimed at mitigating climate disasters and enhancing early warning systems for communities across Nigeria. The collaboration will enable access to rainfall data, develop a trigger system for rainfall and rainfall intensity alerts, forecast floods and subsequently provide early warning alerts to communities.
NiMet’s director-general, Prof. Mansur Matazu represented by the director of applied meteorological services, Prof. Charles Anosike commended IRC’s strategic action plan to curb climate disaster and reiterated NiMet’s commitment to providing quality, accurate and timely climate advisories. The expansion of the MoU is a crucial development as it enables NiMet and IRC to extend their reach and build a community that is weather-smart, as well as implement policies and services that can mitigate climate disasters.
NiMet has an established interest in private-public partnerships and has been collaborating with various stakeholders to provide climate services tailored to enhance sustainable development and improve the socioeconomic well-being of the nation. The proposed MoU extension underscores NiMet’s commitment to these partnerships and its continued efforts to create awareness of the socio-economic impacts of climate and weather on different sectors of the Nigerian economy.
In conclusion, the collaboration between NiMet and IRC offers a promising future for climate disaster mitigation in Nigeria. By expanding their partnership, the two organizations can work together to enhance early warning systems, improve weather forecasting and design projects that will contribute to sustainable development and the betterment of Nigeria’s economy.
