University of Abuja, NiMet deepen partnership on smart climate project

The University of Abuja and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) have strengthened their partnership to advance the Smart Climate Project, with both institutions agreeing to deepen collaboration in climate research, weather monitoring, knowledge exchange and the application of climate information for national development.

 

According to a statement by NiMet on Tuesday, The renewed partnership was sealed during a courtesy visit by Hakeem Babatunde Fawehinmi, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Abuja, who led the university’s management team to Charles Anosike, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet.

 

Fawehinmi said the visit, undertaken on behalf of the Governing Council of the University, now Yakubu Gowon University, under the leadership of Senator Olanrewaju Tejuoso, was aimed at advancing discussions on the Smart Climate Project and exploring other areas of mutual interest between both institutions.

 

He said the engagement focused on strengthening collaboration in joint research, deployment of remote sensors, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) tools, weather stations, climate data utilisation, academic-industry linkages and knowledge exchange.

 

Welcoming the delegation, Anosike congratulated Fawehinmi on his appointment as substantive Vice-Chancellor and stressed the importance of closer institutional collaboration.

 

He described the University of Abuja as NiMet’s closest academic partner, noting that more than 60 per cent of the agency’s interns are drawn from the institution.

 

The NiMet Director-General also recalled the agency’s previous support for the development of the university’s weather station and urged tertiary institutions to properly maintain NiMet-supported weather stations to ensure they remain functional for teaching, research and climate services.

 

As part of efforts to strengthen the collaboration, Anosike pledged to establish a new weather station at the university to support academic research and improve access to weather and climate information.

 

Both institutions agreed that climate information should be made more accessible, practical and useful to students, researchers, farmers, planners and communities through the Smart Climate Project.

 

To drive implementation, the University of Abuja and NiMet constituted a joint technical team that will define priority areas of collaboration and develop a framework for executing the project’s objectives.

 

“Key areas discussed included joint research, remote sensors, GIS tools, weather stations, climate data use, academic-industry linkage, and knowledge exchange,” the statement read 

 

The partnership is expected to enhance climate research, improve weather observation infrastructure and strengthen the use of climate information in supporting sustainable development and climate resilience across Nigeria.