We will begin marine forecast with N1bn equipment, says NiMet

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has announced that it would be spending one billion naira for the procurement of equipment to provide a forecast for the country’s marine sector.

NiMet Director-General, Mansur Matazu told journalists in Abuja that although the agency was under The Federal Ministry of Aviation, had been mandated to extend its functions to the marine sector.

He also stated northern parts of Nigeria were currently more vulnerable to high-intensity rainfall, as climate change had further worsened the situation.

He disclosed this while speaking at the African Swift Testbed-3 Workshop on Nowcasting and Users Co-production.

“Recently, we rolled out our policy thrust, one of which was to expand services to non-aviation sectors. One such critical sector is the marine sector.

“Nigeria has more than 800km stretch of coastline, with a lot of busy seas around us and shipping activities. So as part of our establishment Act, we were mandated to provide marine forecasts for ocean-going vessels.

“We need to do a lot of installations, especially on highly sensitive instruments to monitor the weather conditions around the coasts. This is a very capital intensive programme that involves the purchase and installation of tidal gauges and other marines equipment.

“This is just the first phase and we are going to expand by next year. Also, I must state here that this is based on the huge support we are getting from the Federal Ministry of Aviation,” Matazu said.