Nigeria’s Met Office urges private investment to close Africa’s weather data shortfall

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) called for greater private‑sector funding to address Africa’s 30 percent weather data gap, noting that the continent currently has only about 12.5 percent of the minimum weather‑station density recommended by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO).

NiMet’s Director‑General Professor Charles Anosike said compliance with international observation standards among the 53 African countries is just seven percent for surface land stations and nine percent for upper‑air stations, and highlighted the need for investment in radar infrastructure, remote sensing, data analytics and digital platforms. He also identified climate services as a high‑impact opportunity driven by rising extreme‑weather events and aviation safety obligations, and urged stronger integration of hydrometeorological data into financial decisions such as agricultural lending and insurance pricing.