Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), China Meteorological Administration (CMA) have reaffirmed the long-standing partnership between both countries and explore new areas of collaboration.
This was made known following a bilateral meeting between the Director-General of NiMeT and Permanent Representative of Nigeria with the WMO, Prof. Charles Anosike and the Administrator and Director-General and Permanent Representative of China with the WMO, Dr. Chen Zhenlin.
Anosike and his China counterpart met Friday on the sidelines of the 80th Session of the WMO Executive Council to advance Nigeria and China’s weather collaborations.
Both Permanent Representatives expressed commitment to advancing cooperation through the adoption and customization of the MAZU AI Early Warning Platform for Nigeria while leveraging emerging AI technologies to strengthen weather and climate services.
The meeting also agreed on the adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) covering the MAZU platform, staff exchanges, joint research, data sharing, remote sensing, aviation research, knowledge exchange, and scholarship programmes for the mutual socioeconomic benefit of both countries.
In a related development, Anosike participated in the WMO Executive Council Side Event on “Scaling AI-Powered Weather Services for Farmers” held at the WMO Headquarters.
The event brought together global leaders, meteorological experts, and development partners to discuss how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can enhance weather forecasting, strengthen climate services for agriculture, and improve food security through innovative partnerships.
Speaking during the session, Anosike highlighted that effective AI-driven weather forecasting begins with quality observations, stressing the need to address observation and data gaps across Africa. He noted that investment in observation systems is fundamental to unlocking the full potential of AI in meteorology.
He also showcased NiMet’s structured approach to integrating AI into its operations.
The agency inaugurated its AI Research Team in January 2026 to drive the identification, evaluation, and operational deployment of AI and machine learning technologies.
Since then, NiMet has developed AI Terms of Reference (TOR), Standard Operating Procedures (SOP), an AI Operational Framework with phased milestones, and documented AI use cases to guide implementation.
As part of these efforts, NiMet is evaluating leading AI weather prediction models and developing the MeteoAI platform to enhance weather forecasting, climate prediction, forecast verification, and early warning services.
The Agency is also assessing the most cost-effective computing infrastructure to support operational AI deployment.
Anosike reaffirmed NiMet’s commitment to leveraging AI and modern geospatial technologies to strengthen operational meteorology and advance the Early Warnings for All initiative across Africa.
This, he said, would ensure that farmers and vulnerable communities benefit from more timely, accurate, and actionable weather and climate information.