LAGOS – The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), and the Women Farmers Advancement Network (WOFAN), a non-profit organization, have discussed strategies to mitigate the impact of climate disasters on Nigerian farmers.
WOFAN is dedicated to empowering smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth.
Speaking at a meeting hosted by Prof. Charles Anosike, the Director-General of NiMet, in his office in Abuja extolled the wonderful work of WOFAN.
Anosike explained that the partnership with WOFAN was one of his most important achievements because of the potential positive impact it would have on agricultural yield in Nigeria.
He stated that with a network of close to 700,000 farmers and their various community-based agricultural projects, including training of agricultural extension workers, the partnership would elevate the agricultural sector in Nigeria.
Anosike added that following the public unveiling of NiMet’s Seasonal Climate Prediction in February 2025, partnership with WOFAN was coming at the right time.
“We are highly dependent on rain-fed agriculture in Nigeria. Our work at NiMet won’t be complete If our products and information are not passed to the farmers and other end users.
“With this partnership, we can meet the farmers before the onset of the rains to guide them properly on how to respond, reduce damages, reduce and manage pests, and also reduce illnesses.
“We would also have the opportunity through interacting with the farmers to receive feedback from them on the impact of our weather information on their yield.”
In her response Hajia Salamatu Garba, Founder of WOFAN, lauded Anosike and his NiMet team for their consistency in releasing weather and climate information to the public.
She expressed that WOFAN had always relied on climate information from NiMet in addressing climate-smart related issues.
“We have always received NiMet data from other sources, but with this partnership, we will have a more direct access”, Garba said.
Both organisations would sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to guide the partnership.
