NiMet Partners Morocco To Improve Weather Forecasting

The Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is collaborating with Morocco to improve weather forecasting and related meteorological issues across the country.

This was revealed after a meeting with the director general of NiMet, Prof Charles Anosike, and his Moroccan counterpart, Mohammed Dhkissi, which centred on how to build on the two countries’ existing relationship and collaborate on weather forecasting and other meteorological issues.

The meeting was held in Casablanca on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations Systematic Observation Financing Facility (SOFF) workshop for Peer Advisors and Implementing Entities.
The discussion centred on stronger joint collaboration in support of AI-based weather forecasting and early warning for all.

At the end of the meeting, Dkhissi and Prof. Anosike agreed to draft a Memorandum of Understanding and establish a framework to foster mutual support in the implementation of the WMO Integrated Global Observing System (WIGOS) Centre in Abuja, Nigeria.

Other agreements reached include “the exchange of expertise and support in the implementation of an instrument calibration centre in Abuja; exchange of expertise and solutions in data management and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) between both countries; exchange of expertise in education and training, especially for instructors in French and English to promote a wider audience in the training institutions of both organisations; exchange of ideas and expertise in NiMet’s model of Agricultural Meteorology and associated stakeholders’ engagements; learning from NiMet’s experiences in the implementation of its SOFF Peer Advisory Services; and exchange of expertise in Numerical Weather Prediction and integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in numerical modelling.”

While acknowledging the already existing cordial relationship between both organisations, which has seen Morocco supporting Nigeria in meteorological data exchange, participation in NiMet’s Stakeholders’ Engagement Forum, and Nigeria’s participation in ClimAfrica hosted by Morocco; both parties pledged to continue this tie with effective participation in future events of both parties, including cost recovery drives for climate resilience and sustainability of both organisations.