NiMet targets 1,000 automated weather stations in one year – DG

The Director-General, Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof Sani Mashi, said the agency targets to increase the number of its automated weather stations to 1,000 in the next one year.

Mashi, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), on Wednesday in Abuja, said that NiMet currently had less than 100 of such stations across the country.

He added that the agency had only 30 automated stations until it received 47 stations recently from two international agencies as donations.

According to him, the Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO) donated 37, while West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), donated 10.

“Initially we received 37 automated weather stations from TAHMO and recently we receive 10 from WASCAL.

“TAHMO is an agency based in Netherlands, it is a profit making agency but with an interest in promoting development of meteorology in Africa.

“Part of its strategies is to assist African countries to get more of automated stations.

“So if you develop the culture of using automated stations they would now bring it to you so that you can buy and through that way we received the donation of 37 weather stations.”

Mashi disclosed that NiMet currently has 54 network of stations, which are different from automated stations, saying that they are still grossly inadequate.