Ahead of the public presentation of 2025 seasonal climate prediction (SCP) early in the coming year, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, on Tuesday, 17th December 2024, held a stakeholders workshop in Abuja to discuss the socio-economic impact of the SCP.

While welcoming the stakeholders, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike said that the stakeholders meeting is an essential process in the preparation of the 2025 SCP document. He said that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is positioned to climate-proof the economy by providing timely weather and climate information.

“I urge us all to reflect on the observed events of the various components of the 2024 prediction and their socio-economic impacts across sectors and use our experiences to generate more robust advisories for the 2025 prediction to improve livelihoods, secure the nation’s food security status, and make our people resilient," he concluded.

Representative of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in Nigeria, Dr. Bernard Gomez, represented by Dr. Roland Abah, commended NiMet as it has been issuing the seasonal climate prediction for over 10 years. “I wish to commend NiMet for organizing this Stakeholders' Workshop annually. It demonstrates NiMet’s capacity and leadership in forecasting weather and climate conditions.”

Representative of the Executive Director of Advocacy For Women With Disabilities Initiative (AWWDI), a Non-Governmental Organisation, Bilkisu Yakubu, thanked the DG/CEO of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, for making the workshop inclusive. “It is the first time in the history of Nigeria. We are so proud of NiMet because of the hospitality that was given to us when we came to sign the MoU. I am very glad that we are working with NiMet. Particularly the DG/CEO Prof. Anosike, he is the ambassador for inclusivity, especially when it comes to climate change," she said.

The stakeholders forum serves as a feedback mechanism for NiMet. It ensures that the final SCP document meets everybody’s expectations as NiMet produces the final SCP document.