The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has inaugurated an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research and Integration Team as part of a strategic move to deepen innovation, accelerate digital transformation, and enhance the delivery of meteorological and climate services in Nigeria.
Inaugurating the team, the Director General and Chief Executive Officer of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, said the initiative reflects the Agency’s resolve to complement its long-established physics-based forecasting systems with emerging AI-driven technologies, in alignment with the federal government’s digital transformation agenda and NiMet’s ongoing modernisation programme.
The newly constituted team is mandated to identify opportunities, standards and global best practices for the application of artificial intelligence in meteorology, while driving the seamless integration of AI-powered tools into NiMet’s operational forecasting framework. The adoption of hybrid AI–traditional forecasting models is expected to significantly improve the speed, accuracy and accessibility of weather predictions.
Anosike noted that building in-house AI capacity is critical to sustaining NiMet’s position as a leading technology-driven public agency. He added that responsible deployment of artificial intelligence will strengthen support for key national sectors, including aviation safety, agriculture, disaster risk reduction and overall socio-economic development.
Members of the AI Research and Integration Team were selected from various departments within the Agency, ensuring a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach to innovation.
The inauguration represents another important milestone in NiMet’s commitment to research-led solutions and the deployment of cutting-edge digital technologies to deliver world-class meteorological services across Nigeria.