By Miriam Humbe
The Director General/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, is advancing efforts to strengthen meteorological research for more efficient service delivery across sectors, particularly in the areas of Artificial Intelligence and aviation research.
This follows a meeting with his counterpart, KOH LI-NA, Director-General of the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), to discuss areas of mutual interest and collaboration.
The meeting took place on Thursday, May 21, 2026, on the sidelines of Ecosperity Week 2026 in Singapore.
While acknowledging the similarities in tropical weather patterns and the administration of meteorological science in both Nigeria and Singapore — especially their significant influence on the aviation industry — the meeting explored opportunities for collaboration between MSS and NiMet in accelerating the evaluation and integration of Artificial Intelligence models into meteorological operations.
The initiative is expected to ensure that weather forecasts are not only more accurate but also delivered faster, with improved downscaling capabilities. This will translate into greater socioeconomic support for sectors such as aviation, agriculture, marine services, health, and disaster risk reduction, among others.
NiMet and MSS are both ISO-certified for services provided to the aviation industry. In recognition of the successful joint aviation research collaboration between MSS and Singapore’s civil aviation authorities, the meeting also explored opportunities to replicate similar initiatives in Nigeria to improve provider-user co-developed solutions within the aviation sector.
Other areas of discussion included cost-recovery models and related legal frameworks, the use of AI to enhance manpower productivity, and the role of Quality Management Systems (QMS) in promoting operational efficiency and a healthy work environment.
Nigeria and Singapore are both members of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). While Nigeria hosts the WMO Office for North, Central, and West Africa, Singapore hosts the WMO Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific.
Both Permanent Representatives emphasized that global partnerships, cross-border cooperation, and mutual learning in meteorology are essential for improved capacity building, forecasting accuracy, and the delivery of life-saving early warning systems.
