NiMet, NASRDA Partner to Boost Earth Observation for Sustainable Development
Oru Leonard
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) have strengthened their partnership to enhance earth system observations aimed at supporting sustainable national development and improving key socioeconomic sectors.
The commitment was made when the Director General and Chief Executive of NASRDA, Dr. Mathew Adepoju, paid a courtesy visit to the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, in Abuja on Thursday.
During the meeting, both agencies reaffirmed their commitment to leveraging their respective mandates to provide accurate and reliable earth observation data that will support informed decision-making across critical sectors of the economy.
Prof. Anosike underscored the importance of meteorological observations in safeguarding lives and property, promoting climate-smart decisions, enhancing community resilience, and strengthening anticipatory actions against weather and climate-related risks. He also assured NASRDA of NiMet’s commitment to deepening the partnership through greater adoption of advanced technologies, including Artificial Intelligence, to improve service delivery.
On his part, Dr. Adepoju advocated closer collaboration between both agencies on the development of a meteorological satellite, a move he said would position Nigeria as a continental leader in space weather observation.
He also identified other areas of cooperation, including meteorological support for the operationalisation of hot-air balloons, capacity building, knowledge sharing, and specialised training programmes.
The two chief executives further agreed on the need to increase private sector participation in earth observation systems and resolved to review and update the existing Memorandum of Understanding between the agencies to make it more forward-looking, practical, and results-driven.
They expressed confidence that the strengthened collaboration would significantly enhance Nigeria’s capacity in earth observation, climate services, and space technology, while contributing meaningfully to sustainable socioeconomic development.
