Keyamo Stresses the Importance of Meteorology at World Conference
Attending a meeting organised by the Commission for Weather, Climate, Hydrological, Marine and Related Environmental Services and Applications (SERCOM) in Geneva, Switzerland, Nigeria’s aviation minister Festus Keyamo seeks enhanced collaboration with the world body in areas of capacity building for NiMet and aviation staff.
The minister advocated for increased WMO presence in Nigeria recognising the WMO sub-regional office located and supported by Nigeria.
With the theme: ‘Aviation, Weather and Climate: Scientific Research and Development for Enhanced Aeronautical Meteorological Services in a Changing Climate’, the objective of the conference was to showcase scientific and technological advances in meteorological observations, forecasts, advisories, and warnings.
It also aimed to expand focus on the integration of meteorological information decision support services into the global air traffic management system and examine further the impacts of climate change and variability on aviation.
Keyamo during the meeting, recognised the role of meteorology in nation-building and aviation safety and the importance of Nigeria within the region, regarding technical assistance and capacity development initiatives for other member states.
He highlighted areas that WMO could increase support to Nigeria such as training, skills acquisition, increased fellowship opportunities for NiMet staff, and early warnings capacity development for industrial professionals.
In his response, Prof. Celeste Saulo, the WMO Secretary General, acknowledged the role of Nigeria in ensuring that no country was left behind in the region and its support in helping to develop other meteorological services in the region.
She commended the government’s support being received by the meteorological service of Nigeria and emphasised the importance of such support especially towards resource mobilisation for improved service delivery, and early warning system improvement, especially for extreme weather events in the developing world.