By Winifred Ngozi Orji
Harboursandports.com: Côte d’Ivoire December 7, 2024: The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) and the Maritime Organization of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) have reached an agreement to collaborate on enhancing maritime weather observation, providing early warnings, and building capacity in marine meteorology for member states of MOWCA.
This was included in the memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed by NiMet and MOWCA in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on Thursday.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, Charles Anosike stated that NiMet will utilize MOWCA’s mandate and reach to improve its service delivery.
His words: “NiMet is the authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of Nigeria’s atmosphere and its interaction with all aspects of the economy. NiMet regulates and advises the Nigerian government on all aspects of meteorology towards sustainable economic development. As weather, climate, and water cycles cannot be controlled by a country, international cooperation is essential for the development of meteorology,”
He pointed out that both agencies face similar challenges regarding maritime safety and security, as well as pollution of maritime waters, given that the West and Central African region relies heavily on maritime transport.
“The safety of maritime operations demands that weather information be broadcast to ships twice a day as stipulated by the SOLAS convention and the World Meteorological Organization. This information includes quality data, analysis, warnings, and weather forecasts. Improving the collection and regional exchange of ocean-based observational data will deliver additional socioeconomic benefits to our region.
“Investment in ocean observation infrastructure and capacity development is highly needed to ensure that weather information provided covers all shipping lines and fishing grounds in MOWCA member states,” he explained.
He emphasized that the partnership offers opportunities for both parties to work together and promote compliance with the SOLAS convention.
He also requested funding support for ocean observation infrastructure to facilitate the sharing of regional maritime weather information among member states.
Meanwhile, the Secretary General of MOWCA, Paul Adalikwu, acknowledged that NiMet is effectively providing weather and climate information for the maritime and other sectors.
In paul words, “The role of meteorological agencies in maritime operations cannot be overemphasized as they are essential in delivering precise weather forecasts and timely warnings, which significantly enhance the safety of vessels by predicting storms, tides and sea conditions.
“Considering the volume of vessels that pass through Nigerian waterways, it’s very important that we partner with NiMet and so should other stakeholders in the maritime sector too. We have listened to NiMet’s presentation and are impressed by it. We will escalate the issues raised as well as the services that NiMet offers to our member – -states and encourage them to take advantage of the best practices that Nigeria has to offer,”.
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