By Woke Joshua
The Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, has participated in a high-level World Meteorological Organization (WMO) dialogue on climate finance and the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange (SOFE) in Beijing, China.
The five-day programme, which brought together senior meteorological officials and climate experts, focused on strengthening the role of National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in mobilising climate finance and advancing climate-resilient development.
A statement issued on Tuesday said the High-level Dialogue on Climate Science Information for Climate Finance examined ways to enhance the capacity of NMHSs to access climate financing and align scientific expertise with risk-informed, people-centred early warning systems.
Participants also considered approaches to moving beyond traditional technical assistance by promoting sustainable investment and stronger collaboration between meteorological institutions and multilateral financing organisations.
The dialogue further underscored the importance of strategic leadership within NMHSs and stronger partnerships to improve access to climate finance and support adaptation initiatives.
The programme was held alongside the 53rd SOFE, which included a technical visit to Fujian Province, where participants examined China’s application of technology in meteorological early warning and disaster risk reduction.
During the field exchange, participants were introduced to the Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap and Universal (MAZU) platform, an artificial intelligence-driven early warning system supporting the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative.
The technical sessions and field visits provided opportunities for participants to study China’s approaches to multi-hazard early warning, disaster risk management and the use of emerging technologies to strengthen resilience to weather and climate-related hazards.
Anosike’s participation also provided a platform for Nigeria to engage international partners and meteorological institutions on emerging approaches to climate science, climate finance, early warning systems and technology-driven improvements in meteorological services.