WMO canvasses NiMet support for Sierra Leone

5th June 2018 Admin

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The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), has called on the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) to enhance its technical support for the Sierra Leonean Meteorological Agency to deliver efficient service.
Mr Bernard Gomez, WMO Representative for North, Central and West Africa, made the call during a Technical Exchange Visit of Sierra Leone Mission on Weather and Climate Service to NiMet on Monday in Abuja.
Gomez said that WMO was aware of Nigeria’s supportive role to the cause of meteorology globally and particularly at the regional level.
He explained that the visit was to enable the delegation to talk with NiMet to see what could be done to help Sierra Leone to improve on its Meteorological services.
According to him, WMO knows that NiMet is supporting Sierra Leone in the area of weather forecast but it still needs to do more.
“Those of us who fly in the sub-region know what it means for Meteorological services not functioning well or not effective.
“I think it is our duty to see what can be done to help strengthen a sister country in our sub-region.
“And I am confident that at the end of this mission, you would have collected a lot of information that would help boost your weather services.
“It is a good thing for NiMet and Sierra Leone to work together to ensure better met service delivery in the sub region.
“NiMet is very supportive to the coursework of meteorology globally and particularly at the regional level.
“I am very happy that today we are here with the permanent secretary at the ministry of transport as well as the Director General of Met Agency and the African Development Bank.
“We are here to talk with NiMet to see what can be done to help this country in our sub region,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Director-general of NiMet, Prof. Sani Mashi, represented by Mr Mailadi Yusuf, Director of Applied Meteorological Services, assured that the agency was ready to ensure a successful tour by the delegation.
Mashi said NiMet, being an agency mandated with the responsibility of advising government in all areas of meteorology, had always carried out its functions in a more professional and satisfactory manner.
He said that NiMet products and services had always been used by professionals and policy makers to guide their decisions and support national development.
“The principal product is the Seasonal Rainfall Predictions (SRP), which advised on the onset and cessation of rainfall in every part of the country and we just issued the 2018 edition.
“I believe your visit and tour of NiMet facility would help you to discover areas to improve your operations especially in hazard monitoring and early warning processes that could help mitigate effects of such occurrences.
“You will therefore be guided through our facilities such as the weather forecasting studio, standard observatory and ICT and data management laboratory.
“It is my belief that undertaking periodic review will help improve the operations of the agencies especially those that deliver essential public services,” he said.
The Sierra Leonean delegation was led by Mr Usman Binya, Acting Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport and Aviation of Sierra Leone.
On the delegation are the Director-general of Sierra Leone Meteorological Agency and Mr James Kinyangi, Chief Climate and Policy Development Fund, African Development Bank (AfDB).