NiMet Sets Up AI Team to Boost Accuracy, Speed of Weather Forecasts

NiMet Sets Up AI Team to Boost Accuracy, Speed of Weather Forecasts

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has inaugurated an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research and Integration Team as part of efforts to deepen innovation, digital transformation and service delivery in weather and climate services.

The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike, inaugurated the team, describing the initiative as a strategic move to complement decades of physics-based weather forecasting with emerging AI-driven approaches.

The development aligns with the Federal Government’s digital transformation agenda and NiMet’s ongoing modernisation of meteorological services across the country.

The newly constituted team is mandated to identify opportunities, standards and best practices for the application of artificial intelligence in meteorology, as well as to drive the integration of AI-based tools into NiMet’s operational forecasting systems.

The hybrid approach is expected to improve the speed, accuracy and accessibility of weather forecasts nationwide.

Speaking at the inauguration, Anosike stressed the importance of building internal AI capacity to sustain NiMet’s leadership in technological innovation within the public sector.

He noted that the responsible deployment of emerging technologies would strengthen critical sectors such as aviation safety, agriculture, disaster risk reduction and broader national development.

Members of the AI Research and Integration Team were drawn from various units of the agency, reflecting a multidisciplinary approach to innovation and research.

The inauguration marks another milestone in NiMet’s efforts to harness digital technologies and research-driven solutions in the delivery of world-class meteorological services in Nigeria.