Nigeria, Singapore Partner on AI Weather Forecasting, Aviation Safety

JOEL OLADELE, Abuja

Nigeria and Singapore are set to deepen cooperation in meteorological science following talks between the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) aimed at improving weather forecasting and aviation safety through Artificial Intelligence.

The meeting between NiMet Director General and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Charles Anosike, and his Singaporean counterpart, Koh Li-Na, took place on Thursday during Ecosperity Week 2026 in Singapore.

Discussions focused on areas of mutual interest, particularly the application of Artificial Intelligence to meteorological operations and the strengthening of aviation-related weather services.

Both countries acknowledged the similarities in their tropical weather conditions and the important role meteorological agencies play in supporting aviation, disaster management, agriculture and other climate-sensitive sectors.

The agencies explored opportunities for collaboration in evaluating and integrating AI models into forecasting systems to improve the speed, accuracy and local relevance of weather predictions.

Officials said the initiative is expected to strengthen support for aviation operations while also benefiting sectors such as marine services, health, agriculture and disaster risk reduction through improved early warning systems.

NiMet and MSS are both ISO-certified providers of aviation meteorological services, and part of the discussions centred on how Nigeria could benefit from Singapore’s experience in joint aviation research involving meteorological and civil aviation authorities.

The meeting also examined issues relating to manpower productivity, operational efficiency, cost-recovery models and the legal frameworks guiding meteorological services.

Participants discussed the role of Quality Management Systems in improving workplace standards and enhancing service delivery within meteorological institutions.

Nigeria and Singapore are both members of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Nigeria hosts the WMO Office for North, Central and West Africa, while Singapore hosts the WMO Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific.

Both meteorological chiefs stressed the need for stronger international partnerships and knowledge exchange to improve forecasting accuracy, build technical capacity and deliver more effective early warning systems capable of protecting lives and livelihoods.