In a move aimed at strengthening national climate resilience, the Director General and Chief Executive of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr. Matthew Adepoju, has committed to a deepened partnership to advance weather forecasting, climate risk management, and the country’s broader socio-economic development.
He made the commitment during a working visit to the headquarters of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) in Abuja.
Dr. Adepoju emphasized that both agencies share a common responsibility of deploying science and technology to improve the quality of life of Nigerians.
He noted that NASRDA was established to serve humanity through innovative space solutions, stressing that the time has come for the Agency to expand its satellite programme beyond earth observation by developing dedicated meteorological satellites.
According to him, strengthening collaboration with NiMet is critical to achieving this vision and ensuring Nigeria benefits from world-class space-based weather services.
The NASRDA Boss, disclosed that the Agency is developing a comprehensive satellite roadmap that includes the deployment of meteorological satellites for government approval.
He added that NiMet has been identified as one of NASRDA's critical stakeholders and strategic partners, whose interests and operational needs will be fully integrated into the Agency's long-term vision.
Dr. Adepoju further stated that NASRDA is determined to deepen its partnership with NiMet on anticipatory actions against flooding and other climate-related disasters through enhanced protocols for data sharing, information exchange, and joint operational planning.
He further revealed that NASRDA's next generation of satellites, comprising three optical satellites and one Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite equipped with onboard Artificial Intelligence (AI) data processing capabilities will significantly improve emergency response, environmental monitoring, and meteorological operations across the country.
Earlier, the Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, who also serves as Nigeria's Permanent Representative to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), described NASRDA's ongoing space programmes and satellite initiatives as timely and highly beneficial to NiMet's mandate.
He emphasized that satellite technology remains at the heart of modern meteorological services, adding that accurate weather forecasting, climate monitoring and early warning systems would be extremely difficult without reliable satellite data.
Prof. Anosike also called for the reactivation of the existing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between NASRDA and NiMet, particularly in the area of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), to strengthen institutional collaboration and maximize the benefits of space-based geospatial information for national development.
He commended the NASRDA boss for the recognition of meteorology as a vital economic driver and called on public and private stakeholders to unite in building workforce capacity and collaboration to fully harness the power of atmospheric science for national development.
Below are pictures from the visit.
Reporter: Chado Joel
Editor: Joy Opaluwa-Atama
Photo Credit: Ibrahim Zakari
Media and Corporate Communication NASRDA.
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