The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is seeking to expand and extend the scope and duration of the existing partnership with Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), following the success attained in executing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) a year ago.
This was disclosed on Thursday during a courtesy visit by the IRC team to the NiMet Headquarters in Abuja.
The ICR Team, led by the committee’s Governance Coordinator, Dorcas David, explained that both organizations had previously signed a one-year MoU on a project that recorded great success in Yola, Adamawa State, and following the critical role played by NiMet in attaining this feat, IRC was prompted to seek for a broad ranging Memorandum of Understanding .
She said, the expanded MoU would provide an opportunity for NiMet and IRC to have a long-term partnership on the provision of weather and climate services as well as help design projects targeted at mitigating climate disasters and enhancing early warning for communities across Nigeria.
Expressing further the aim of the intending MoU between IRC and NiMet, the Governance Coordinator said that the collaboration would enable access to rainfall data, develop a trigger system for rainfall and rainfall intensity alert, flood forecast and subsequent provision of early warning alert to communities.
The Director General of NiMet, Prof. Mansur Matazu who was represented by the Director of Applied Meteorological Services, Prof. Charles Anosike disclosed that NiMet has an established interest in private public partnership and has been collaborating with various stakeholders to provide climate services that is tailor made to enhance sustainable development as well as improve the socio-economic well-being of the Nation.
Prof. Matazu also noted that the expansion of the MoU was an essential development as it enables NiMet and IRC to extend their reach and build a community that was weather smart as well as implement policies and services that could mitigate climate disaster.
He commended the effort of the International Rescue Committee on her strategic action plan to curb climate disaster .
He reiterated that the agency was committed to providing quality, accurate and timely climate advisories geared towards the support of human development as well as create awareness on the socio economic impacts of climate and weather on different sectors of the nation’s economy.
