By Favor Chioma
The Director General of AGRHYMET, Dr. Issoufou Baoua, led a high-level delegation to the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) as part of the Joint Mission on the operationalization of the Regional Climate Centre for West Africa and the Sahel (RCC-WAS). He was accompanied by the WMO Representative for West, Central & North Africa, Dr. Bernard Gomez, and the ECOWAS Representative, Prof. Mansur Matazu.
The mission focused on advancing regional collaboration required to fully operationalize RCC-WAS — a key initiative designed to enhance climate services, strengthen resilience, and support informed decision-making across West Africa and the Sahel.
During the engagement, the AGRHYMET DG outlined the core objectives of the mission, which include strengthening institutional partnerships, aligning regional priorities, identifying capacity-building needs, and setting actionable milestones for the effective take-off of RCC-WAS.
Receiving the delegation, the Director General/CEO of NiMet, Prof. Charles Anosike, reaffirmed NiMet’s commitment to the successful establishment of RCC-WAS. He emphasized that NiMet will provide technical expertise and tools — including MeteoWiz — participate in joint research efforts, and contribute to the development of advanced climate monitoring and forecasting capabilities for the region.
The visit marked a significant step forward in consolidating regional cooperation. Both institutions reaffirmed their shared commitment to strengthening climate services, and the meeting concluded with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the operationalization of the Regional Climate Centre for West Africa and the Sahel.
