By Uriel IIhotu
The Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Prof. Charles Anosike, has participated in a high-level World Meteorological Organization (WMO) dialogue focused on strengthening climate science, climate finance and early warning systems.
The WMO High-level Dialogue on Climate Science Information for Climate Finance and the 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange (SOFE) were held from September 14 to 18, 2026, in Beijing and Fujian Province, China.
The engagements brought together senior officials from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs), alongside other stakeholders, to examine ways of improving access to climate finance and strengthening weather, climate and hydrological services.
According to the WMO, the high-level dialogue focused on strengthening the leadership and strategic capacity of NMHSs to mobilise climate finance and develop partnerships capable of supporting sustainable investments in meteorological and climate services.
Participants also examined how scientific and technical capabilities could be better aligned with risk-informed and people-centred early warning systems.
Another key focus was the need to move beyond conventional technical assistance towards sustainable investment, including stronger cooperation between meteorological institutions and multilateral financing organisations.
The discussions also emphasised strategic leadership, stronger partnerships and the development of practical pathways for turning climate science and weather information into investments that can improve resilience and protect communities.
The 53rd Senior Official Field Exchange was held alongside the dialogue, with participants travelling to Fujian Province for technical exchanges, field visits and peer learning.
A major feature of the field exchange was first-hand exposure to China’s Multi-hazard, Alert, Zero-gap and Universal (MAZU) platform, an AI-driven meteorological early warning solution supporting the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative.
The field exchange provided participating officials with an opportunity to examine China’s approaches to disaster risk reduction and the use of technology to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems.
For Nigeria, Anosike’s participation provided an opportunity to engage with international meteorological leaders and stakeholders on climate finance, early warning systems, climate science and emerging technologies.
The engagement comes as meteorological institutions globally seek stronger financing and partnerships to modernise weather and climate services and improve the delivery of timely information to communities exposed to climate-related risks.
The WMO said the event was designed to strengthen cooperation among NMHSs, development partners, multilateral financing institutions and other stakeholders, with a focus on translating climate information into practical investments and improved climate resilience.
