Africa is facing a gap in basic weather and climate data, holding roughly 30 percent of the entire global observation deficit, according to Professor Charles Anosike, Director-General and CEO of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet).
Delivering his welcome address at the opening ceremony of the 2026 Alliance for Hydromet Development Annual Meeting, held at the Eko Hotel and Suites in Lagos from October 13 to 15, 2026, Anosike urged development banks, financial institutions, and private investors to urgently rally behind hydrometeorological infrastructure funding.
He emphasised that severe data gaps in developing nations actively undermine global forecasting accuracy at a time when climate risks are intensifying.
Highlighting the scale of the continent’s vulnerability, Anosike revealed that Africa possesses only about 12.5 percent, one-eighth of the minimum weather station density recommended by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Across 53 African nations, compliance rates for basic data exchange stand at a mere seven percent for surface land stations and nine percent for upper-air stations.
‘Modernizing weather and climate observation infrastructure requires significant capital investment because public budgets alone cannot cover the high costs of building, upgrading, and maintaining global and regional monitoring networks,’ Anosike stated, calling for robust Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
He explained that in a vast nation like Nigeria, spanning over 900,000 square kilometers, the standard requirement of one station per 100 kilometers leaves extensive rural, agricultural, and border territories without standard monitoring coverage due to limited public funds.
Anosike traced NiMet’s historical evolution from Nigeria’s first meteorological observation post established 140 years ago in Akassa in 1886, through early colonial weather stations and the 1937 British West African Meteorological Services, to its statutory establishment as a full-fledged Federal Agency in 2003.
He reaffirmed that NiMet now serves as the country’s authoritative regulator and sole provider across aviation, agriculture, maritime operations, and disaster risk management.
In the aviation sector, Anosike disclosed that NiMet has implemented the ISO 9001:2015 standard standard for aeronautical meteorological services across eight major hub airports, Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Owerri, Osubi, and Yola, while working to extend certification nationwide.
He added that the agency’s 69-year-old Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Oshodi, Lagos, stands as the first WMO-accredited training facility in Africa to attain ISO certification, serving personnel across West Africa and the continent.
Beyond aviation, the NiMet chief emphasized the shift toward co-producing actionable climate products with users across agriculture, livestock, and the maritime sector.
Partnering with international organizations, AI developers like Tomorrow.io, and insurance providers like REX Insurance, NiMet is translating weather intelligence into practical guidance, weather-index insurance, and commodity market risk management tools.
He noted that in the blue economy, where adverse weather causes roughly 30 percent of marine accidents, NiMet’s daily maritime forecasts with NIMASA and NIWA are crucial for vessel safety.
Addressing disaster management, Anosike stressed Nigeria’s active involvement in the United Nations Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative alongside NEMA, NIHSA, and NCC.
‘A forecast is not an early warning until it reaches the people at risk in a form that they can understand and, importantly, early enough for them to act,’ he emphasised, adding that weather data creates maximum value when directly tied to decisions, financial instruments, or concrete preventive actions.
In his closing remarks, Anosike expressed gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, for approving a long-awaited comprehensive and competitive remuneration package for NiMet staff.
He described the welfare upgrade as a historic inflection point that elevates the public perception and professional motivation of meteorologists in Nigeria, laying a strong foundation for sustained organizational excellence.