Nigeria is strengthening its push towards disaster prevention, with the Federal Government highlighting ₦83.2 billion approved for climate action interventions as it seeks to improve preparedness for flooding and other climate-related emergencies.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Olorogun Festus Keyamo, SAN, disclosed this at the opening of the 2026 Alliance for Hydromet Development Annual Meeting in Lagos on October 13. He said reliable weather intelligence and early-warning systems must become central to national planning, investment and disaster management.
“In June 2026, the National Economic Council approved ₦83.2 billion for Anticipatory Action Task Force interventions aimed at mitigating the anticipated impacts of flooding and other climate-related emergencies across the country,” Keyamo said.
The funding forms part of a wider government effort to move beyond responding to disasters after they occur. Keyamo said advances in forecasting now provide opportunities to take preventive measures before hazards become disasters.
Keyamo Pushes Investment in Early Warnings
The minister said the transition from reactive disaster management to anticipatory action had become an important priority for Nigeria.
“While response and recovery will always remain necessary, advances in science and forecasting now provide us with an opportunity to act earlier and reduce the severity of impacts before they occur,” he said.
He identified the Federal Government’s Anticipatory Action Framework and the establishment of the Anticipatory Action Task Force on Floods in 2025 as important steps towards this approach. NiMet’s Seasonal Climate Prediction, he added, contributes to national preparedness and planning.
However, turning forecasts into effective interventions requires sustained financing, observation infrastructure and coordination among government agencies.
Keyamo said the government had established the Nigerian Climate Investment Platform, targeting $500 million for climate-resilient infrastructure, adaptation and other priority areas.
He also highlighted the accreditation of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority as a Direct Access Entity to the Green Climate Fund, alongside efforts to expand climate-finance opportunities through the Development Bank of Nigeria.
“These developments are significant as climate finance must ultimately translate into projects that address real development challenges,” he said.
The minister added that investment in observation, forecasting and early-warning infrastructure should be treated as essential to climate action and economic resilience rather than isolated technical services.
NiMet’s Data Gap Raises Aviation Safety Concerns
The investment push comes as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) warns that insufficient weather observations remain a major challenge across Africa.
NiMet Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, Professor Charles Anosike, said Africa accounts for roughly 30 per cent of the global weather-observation deficit. He added that the continent has only about 12.5 per cent of the minimum weather-station density recommended by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
The data gap matters to aviation because reliable meteorological observations underpin forecasts used in flight planning and operational decision-making. In Nigeria, NiMet provides aeronautical meteorological services in collaboration with aviation agencies.
Anosike said the agency had implemented the ISO 9001:2015 quality management standard for aeronautical meteorological services at eight airports: Abuja, Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt, Enugu, Owerri, Osubi and Yola. He added that certification was being expanded to additional airports.
“Aviation safety is inherently a system-wide responsibility, and meteorological information must be seamlessly integrated into the wider air transport system,” he said.
The agency works with the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology (NCAT).
Government Calls for Private-Sector Participation
Keyamo said government could not finance every component of the weather, water and climate information ecosystem alone. He called for greater private-sector participation in satellite services, data analytics, aviation, insurance, agriculture, telecommunications and technology.
“The private sector must bring, not only capital, but also innovation, technology, distribution networks, business expertise and new approaches to service delivery,” he said.
The minister also cited the Hydromet Gap Report 2024, which reported cost-benefit ratios ranging from 1:4 to 1:19 for hydrometeorological initiatives at country level within the ECOWAS region.
He further referenced the WMO Secretary-General’s statement that every dollar invested in early warnings and climate intelligence could save up to $15.
These figures reinforce the economic argument for climate action through improved observation networks and early-warning systems, although actual returns depend on the investments made and the risks addressed.
Weather Intelligence Supports Wider Climate Action
Anosike said NiMet’s work also supports agriculture, maritime operations and disaster-risk reduction through seasonal climate predictions, rainfall forecasts, impact-based forecasts and severe-weather alerts.
He stressed that forecasts must reach vulnerable people in a form they understand and early enough to act.
“A forecast is not an early warning until it reaches the people at risk in a form that they can understand and, importantly, early enough for them to act,” he said.
NiMet is also exploring artificial intelligence and digital advisory systems with AIM4Scale and Tomorrow.io to translate weather information into practical guidance for farmers.
The agency collaborates with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) on maritime weather forecasts.
The Lagos meeting, running from October 13 to 15, brings together governments, climate-finance institutions, meteorological agencies, development partners and private-sector representatives.
For Nigeria, effective climate action will require more than funding announcements. It will depend on connecting financial commitments with reliable weather observations, effective early warnings and practical interventions.
Closing the data gap will require sustained investment, while ensuring that weather intelligence supports aviation safety, disaster preparedness and wider economic resilience.
