By Abdullahi Lukman
Amid decreasing agricultural productivity due to the persisting climate change, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has geared up partnership with institutions of higher learning across the country to beef up its weather and climate data bank to guide farmers on a bountiful cropping season.
The Director General/CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, was at the Taraba State University, Jalingo, recently, where he signed such partnerships with Professor Sunday Paul Bako, Vice Chancellor of the university.
Prof Anosike reiterated that the agency’s partnerships with universities and institutions of higher learning across the country would significantly benefit farmers and agrarian communities.
He explained further that NiMet’s expanding network of university partners would enhance the weather and climate data available to the agency, complementing data from its own weather stations.
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This collaboration, Anosike said, would improve the accuracy of weather forecasts, ultimately benefiting local farmers and other stakeholders.
The NiMet CEO also assured that the agency would closely monitor the performance of MoUs with universities and higher institutions to ensure that all parties meet their commitments.
In response, Professor Sunday Paul Bako, Vice Chancellor of Taraba State University, expressed confidence that the partnership would address the needs of both the university community and the surrounding agrarian population.
He said that departments such as Geography, Agriculture, and Ecotourism at the university would benefit from the collaboration.
Prof Bako said the university’s agricultural faculty, which runs extension programs, would use the weather data to raise awareness of sustainable farming practices and climate-smart solutions.
The MoU, which is set for four years and renewable, aims to promote meteorology, climatology, and climate change activities in Nigeria.
