West Africa Sub-region, Mauritania and Chad Hold Forum on Seasonal Forecasting of the agro- hydro-climatic characteristics and accuracy

Oru Leonard

As Meteorologists from the West African sub- region Mauritania and Chad come together to discuss weather issues on forecasting for the benefit of the participanting countries and the world in general, the Director General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet),  Processor Mansur Bako Matazu has urged stakeholders to develope a scientific framework that will help the region solve agricultural, weather, climate and health  challenges.

The DG who was represented by Engr Mailadi Yusuf, Director, Weather Forecasting Services (DWFS), noted that the weather has a great impact on various aspects of human life So efforts have been made for yeors to improve the accuracy of weather forecasting which refers to the process in which science and technology are applied to predict the conditions of the atmosphere for a given location and time, to ensure a better life.

In his remarks at the work Agro-Hydro-Climatic Characteristics of the Major Rainy Season in the Sudan and Shael Countries including Mauritania and Chad, in Abuja, Nigeria, Matazu, said it is imperative to develop a framework that can be deployed to independently monitor the forecasts and report back in order to assess the accuracy.

“Frequent and sustained interactions between Meteorologists that are gathered to engage in scientific research to produce the seasonal forecast for the region underlines the importance of having a reliable and accurate forecast for the region’s sustainable development in industrialization and modernization.

“Weather forecasting is done by collecting data on the current state of the atmosphere and applying a scientific understanding of atmospheric processes to predict atmospheric progression with the goal of providing information to people and organizations which they can use to weather-related losses and enhance societal benefits, protection of life and property, public health and safety and support of economic development”, he stated.

However, he said it is important to stress that since there is no science yet to enable scientists to collect data from the future, weather forecasts rely heavily on the use of estimates and assumptions which make it impossible to have a 100% forecast.

Addressing Journalists the Head of Research Department at the Agri-Met Regional Centre, Niamey, Niger Republic, Dr. Abdul Ali, said attraction of experts from across Africa is apt because climate doesn’t know borders.

He also said that despite the climatic differences, there is a need for a regional component of data aggregation, explaining that the region’s weather forecast will become stronger, than having one individual country providing its own information, adding that the outcome of the workshop will be useful to farmers and the general public at regional and country levels.

Participants stressed on the importance and the need for weather experts to focus on data collection to improve the data quality as it is important in the process and improvement of weather  forecast