The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), on Monday, received in audience officials from the National Meteorological Services of Niger Republic and The Gambia at the NiMet headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Director-General of NiMet, Professor Mansur Bako Matazu who received the officials, Mr Gaptia Lawan Katiellou, and Mr Lamin Mai Touray, both Permanent Representative of Niger and The Gambia to the World Meteorological Organization respectively, noted that the visit of both countries to Nigeria is timely and will be of great interwoven advantage.
“The two delegations on study exchange to NiMet are exploring different areas of interest. For the Niger Republic, what is critical for them is the seasonal climate prediction that Nigeria has been implementing for the past 15 years. We will do a lot of exchange and sharing of experience from seasonal climate prediction as well as numeric weather prediction.
“Just recently, NiMet commissioned research across the eco-climatic zones of the country. Also, the minister will on Tuesday unveil the seasonal climate prediction and also a book published by NiMet on impacts, vulnerability, adaptation and mitigation strategies in Nigeria.
“We have 130 years old data that we are recovering and digitising. After rescuing the data, we will share these experiences with them as well. The 130 -year-old mining capability is also what the visitors would also understudy in the course of their visit”, NiMet DG disclosed.
The National Director of Meteorological Services of Niger, Mr. Lawan Katiellou Gaptia while speaking, said, Niger and Nigeria are twin countries, so it’s easier for Niger to come to Nigeria than go anywhere else in the world. “The initiative of idea exchange between both countries has long been conceived over a year ago with the aim of learning and acquiring better knowledge and improving on the existing ones”, he said.
Also speaking, Mr Lamin Mai Touray, of The Gambia highlighted that one key area of shared knowledge he wants to acquire is on impact-based forecasting, which he said, has a positive impact on Nigeria system, adding that he wants to see how NiMet could assist The Gambia in that area and other similar areas.
“Specially the technology transfer and new weather prediction tools, human and financial capacity”.
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