The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is set to establish a mini-Automatic Weather Observation Station (AWOS) at the Centre for Energy Research and Training (CERT), Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.
According to a statement issued by the Public Affairs Directorate at the university, the initiative is aimed at supporting the licensing requirements for the operation of Nigeria’s Research Reactor-1 (NIRR-1) and enhancing collaborative research in climate and nuclear science.
The statement noted that the development is part of a wide-ranging Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between NiMet and ABU on Monday, June 30, 2025, in Abuja.
The MoU outlines terms for joint research, data sharing, capacity development, and instrumentation support in meteorology, climatology, nuclear science, and environmental monitoring.
Speaking at the signing, Vice-Chancellor of ABU, Prof. Adamu Ahmed, signed the agreement on behalf of CERT while the Director-General and CEO of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, signed for the meteorological agency.
“Under the agreement, NiMet additionally undertook to identify locations to carry out gaseous and NORM mapping around airports as well as provide cost and expenses for use of consumables necessary for the enhanced instrumentation training in nuclear science research.”
In return, CERT will provide land and infrastructure for the weather station, offer technical support in soil fertility analysis, and assist in the training of NiMet personnel in nuclear and environmental sciences.
The centre will also strengthen NiMet’s product development capacities, including bulletins on drought, flood, and agro-meteorology.
“The centre is also obligated to provide technical support in developing soil fertility analysis to enhance NiMet’s capacity in seasonal climate predictions and climate-smart agricultural practices.
“CERT is to develop NiMet’s capacity to carryout gaseous mapping, analysis of harmattan dust and NORM evaluation of airports, as well as train the agency’s staff in basic and applied nuclear science and related analytical techniques for environmental analysis.
“The centre will also use its expertise to encourage and facilitate conduct of collaborative high-impact inter-agency research in climatology, meteorology, nuclear science and technology and their implications.
“CERT will further use its research expertise to enhance the capacity of NiMet in the provision of products such as E-SCP, Annual Climate Review Bulletin, Quarterly Climate Review Bulletin, Agro-Meteorological Bulletin, and Drought and Flood Monitoring Bulletin.
The statement expressed the university’s management optimism that the partnership will yield high-impact research outputs and foster inter-agency collaboration in tackling climate-related and environmental challenges in Nigeria.
