By Gabriel Ameh
The Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), Professor Charles Anosike, has been elected President of the Board of Governors of the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development (ACMAD).
Anosike was elected for a four-year term on September 10, 2026, in Cotonou, Benin, during the 24th Ordinary Session of the ACMAD Board of Governors.
The meeting was held alongside the 22nd African Climate Outlook Forum (ACCOF22), bringing together members of the board and key institutional partners to review the Centre’s progress and strengthen its strategic direction.
As President of the Board, Anosike is expected to provide strategic leadership towards stronger institutional governance, productive partnerships and improved climate services across Africa.
His responsibilities will include supporting ACMAD’s mandate of promoting the effective use of weather and climate information for sustainable socio-economic development across the continent.
The election also highlights Nigeria’s growing role in Africa’s meteorological community and its commitment to strengthening weather and climate services aimed at protecting lives and property, building climate resilience and supporting economic development.
Anosike’s emergence comes at a time when African countries are working to improve their ability to anticipate, prepare for and respond to increasing weather and climate-related risks.
The efforts align with the United Nations’ Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative, which seeks to ensure that people are better protected from hazardous weather and climate events through effective early warning systems.
The opening session in Cotonou featured ACMAD Director-General Dr. Ousmane Ndiaye; ACMAD Board Vice-President and Director of Niger Meteorological Services, Dr. Adamou Aïssatou Sitta; Director of the African Union Commission’s Department of Sustainable Environment and Blue Economy, Mr. Harsen Nyambe; and Benin’s Minister of Living Environment and Transport in charge of Sustainable Development, H.E. Georges Alé.
Anosike’s four-year tenure is expected to further strengthen collaboration among African meteorological institutions and advance the delivery of reliable weather and climate information for communities and economies across the continent.
NiMet DG Charles Anosike has been elected President of the ACMAD Board of Governors for four years to strengthen climate services across Africa.
