By Woke Joshua
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), in collaboration with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Crea2Solutions, is developing a digital platform to strengthen the delivery of weather and climate information to Nigeria’s agricultural sector.
Known as the NiMet Data Hub, the platform has progressed to an advanced Minimum Viable Product stage, with NiMet’s weather and climate services currently being tested for integration.
According to a statement issued on Monday, the project started in February 2026 under the Climate Services for Youth (CS4Y) and Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) programmes.
The initiative is designed to make historical, observed and forecast climate information more accessible to farmers, livestock keepers, agricultural extension workers and other users who require weather and climate data for planning.
The platform is also expected to facilitate climate-risk assessment and support the development of location-specific agricultural advisories.
The partners said the initiative was informed by challenges affecting the delivery of agricultural climate services in Nigeria, particularly fragmented data, limited coordination between information providers and difficulties in converting technical forecasts into practical guidance for end users.
Stakeholder consultations led by NiMet and ILRI have therefore focused on assessing Nigeria’s agro-meteorological data and advisory landscape, identifying gaps in information and delivery systems and strengthening collaboration among relevant institutions.
The engagement also seeks to improve communication of climate information at the last mile while promoting gender and social inclusion in the delivery of climate services.
The Data Hub is expected to cater to a broad range of users, including farmers, pastoralists, researchers, extension professionals, government institutions and private agricultural advisory providers.
Existing NiMet resources, including online map rooms and agricultural climate products, are expected to form part of the information base for generating context-specific agro-weather advisories through the platform.
ILRI’s contribution is focused on leveraging research data, digital tools and information systems to make climate and agricultural information more accessible and useful to partners and decision-makers.
The initiative supports broader government priorities on food security, climate-smart agriculture and digital transformation under the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The partners said improved access to actionable climate information could help agricultural producers prepare for weather-related risks, make better production decisions, minimise potential losses and strengthen the resilience of Nigeria’s agri-food systems.