The collaboration, advanced during a July 1, 2025, meeting in Abuja, targets enhanced early-warning systems and humanitarian coordination across West Africa.

Dr. Sintiki Tarfa Ugbe, Director of ECOWAS Humanitarian and Social Affairs, emphasized NiMet’s critical role in operationalizing regional resilience frameworks. “NiMet’s data and forecasting authority makes it a vital ally,” she stated, citing the agency’s involvement in global initiatives like the World Meteorological Organisation’s Voluntary Cooperation Programme. Key focus areas include the ECOWAS Disaster Situation Room—a hub for real-time multi-hazard response coordination among member states.

NiMet Director General Professor Charles Anosike confirmed commitments to joint training, technical exchanges, and co-developing climate services. Both parties agreed to draft a formal Memorandum of Understanding and evaluate designating NiMet training centers as ECOWAS “Centers of Excellence.” Anosike highlighted alignment with the UN’s “Early Warnings for All” initiative, integrating end-to-end systems to protect lives and livelihoods.

The partnership advances ECOWAS’s climate security agenda amid increasing extreme weather threats. It will leverage NiMet’s expertise in forecast-based planning and data interpretation to bolster regional adaptation strategies.