By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
The Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, has called for increased investment in weather and climate observation infrastructure and stronger public-private partnerships to address critical data gaps across Africa.
Anosike, who is also Nigeria’s Permanent Representative with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), made the call while delivering his welcome address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Annual Meeting of the Alliance for Hydromet Development in Lagos on Tuesday.
The three-day meeting, holding at Eko Hotel & Suites from October 13 to 15, brings together governments, development partners, financial institutions and other stakeholders to identify investment priorities and strengthen weather, water and climate services across Africa.
Highlighting the continent’s observation challenges, Anosike said Africa accounts for approximately 30 per cent of the global weather and climate observation deficit.
He noted that the continent has only about 12.5 per cent of the minimum weather station density recommended by the WMO, while compliance rates stand at seven per cent for surface land stations and nine per cent for upper-air stations across 53 African countries.
The NiMet chief stressed the need for increased investment in observation infrastructure, remote sensing, data analytics and digital platforms, noting that government funding alone could not meet the continent’s growing needs.
He also highlighted NiMet’s contributions to aviation safety, agriculture, maritime operations and disaster risk management, emphasizing the importance of translating weather information into actionable guidance and strengthening early-warning systems.
In his remarks, WMO President, Dr. Abdulla Ahmed Al Mandous, called on Nigeria and other African countries to increase investment in meteorological and hydrological services to strengthen early warnings, protect lives and livelihoods, and support sustainable economic development.
Al Mandous described the period leading to 2030 as critical for closing capacity gaps in weather and climate services.
He commended Nigeria’s growing contribution to regional cooperation, noting that the country had progressed from being a beneficiary of technical support to sharing expertise with other nations.
He cited Nigeria’s support for Burkina Faso as a peer reviewer under the Country Hydromet Assessment initiative as an example of its contribution to regional capacity development.
The WMO president urged governments and development partners to prioritize investment, strengthen institutional frameworks, expand partnerships with key economic sectors and promote regional cooperation.
“Our direction is clear: to turn assessments into investments, investments into lasting capacity, and early warnings into early action that saves lives and livelihoods,” he said.
Anosike expressed appreciation to the Federal Government, particularly President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, for their support in strengthening NiMet’s institutional capacity and operational efficiency.
The meeting is expected to strengthen collaboration among stakeholders and mobilize investments to close capacity gaps in weather, water and climate services by 2030.
