The Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has reaffirmed the agency’s commitment to integrating Artificial Intelligence (AI) into weather forecasting to enhance the accuracy and accessibility of climate information for Nigerian farmers.
He made this known during a courtesy visit by the Agricultural Innovation Mechanism for Scale (AIM for Scale) team, led by its director, Imara Salas, and scientific director, Mohammad Farrae, to NiMet headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria.
AIM for Scale is a global initiative that promotes agricultural innovation and supports the development of AI-driven weather solutions to strengthen farmers’ resilience.
The consortium brings together major global partners, including the Gates Foundation, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank, USAID, NASA, MIT, Community Jameel, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI), University of Chicago’s AICE initiative, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), and the UN Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF).
During the meeting, both teams explored opportunities for collaboration, including co-developing strategies to scale up weather services and mobilising investments to support innovative climate-smart solutions for Nigerian farmers.
Professor Anosike expressed appreciation for Nigeria’s inclusion in AIM for Scale’s first African pilot project and NiMet’s participation in the recent AI weather training in Abu Dhabi. He underscored NiMet’s readiness to support the initiative, noting the agency’s growing investment in data infrastructure, technical expertise, and user-focused climate services.
Prof. Anosike, however, highlighted some existing challenges, including the limited number of in-situ weather stations and the need to expand radar coverage across the country. He noted that addressing these gaps would be crucial to achieving nationwide access to reliable weather and climate information.
The Director of AIM for Scale, Imara Salas, commended NiMet’s leadership for its openness to collaboration, explaining that AIM for Scale’s mission is to create tailored AI-based weather innovation packages that deliver cost-effective, scalable solutions to millions of smallholder farmers.
She emphasised the importance of partnerships like NiMet’s in ensuring that AI weather systems are contextualised for local needs.
The AIM for Scale delegation later toured NiMet’s main weather forecasting facility, where they were briefed on the agency’s operational systems and future expansion plans.
Both parties agreed to formalise their collaboration through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) focused on joint research, capacity building, and the sustainable delivery of innovative AI weather services in Nigeria.
The partnership is expected to strengthen NiMet’s role in providing real-time, data-driven weather insights that will empower farmers, enhance agricultural productivity, and support national food security.