The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered weather forecasting to strengthen climate and weather information services for Nigerian farmers.
Anosike made this known during a courtesy visit by the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale) team, led by Imara Salas, Director of the AIM for Scale Secretariat, and Mohammad Farrae, Scientific Director, at NiMet Headquarters in Abuja.
AIM for Scale is a global consortium of leading institutions — including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, United Arab Emirates (UAE), Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Bank, USAID, NASA, MIT, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) — dedicated to promoting agricultural innovation and scaling up weather services for farmers worldwide.
Discussions during the visit centered on co-developing strategies for scaling up climate services and mobilising investments to deliver innovative, data-driven solutions that meet the needs of Nigerian farmers.
In her remarks, Imara Salas expressed appreciation to NiMet for its warm reception and partnership readiness. She explained that AIM for Scale focuses on creating tailored innovation packages and AI-powered weather forecasts to deliver cost-effective, scalable solutions that can reach millions of farmers through partnerships with national agencies like NiMet.
Professor Anosike welcomed Nigeria’s inclusion in AIM for Scale’s first African pilot project, commending the initiative’s potential to enhance agricultural productivity through advanced forecasting technologies. He noted that NiMet’s strong technical capacity and expertise position it well to meet the growing demand for precise and timely weather data among smallholder farmers.
“AI-powered weather systems use advanced algorithms to improve forecasting accuracy and deliver information more quickly,” Anosike stated. “By embracing these technologies, NiMet is paving the way for more effective weather services that support farmers with reliable data for better planning, risk reduction, and increased productivity.”
The NiMet boss also highlighted existing challenges such as the limited network of in-situ weather stations and the urgent need to expand radar coverage across the country. The AIM for Scale team was later taken on a guided tour of NiMet’s main forecasting facility to gain insights into the agency’s operational capabilities and infrastructure.
At the end of the visit, both parties agreed to develop and sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formalise their collaboration. The MoU will focus on joint research, capacity development, and the operational sustainability of innovative AI-based weather services in Nigeria.
