Nigeria’s top meteorologist has taken a significant step toward modernizing the country’s weather services, holding high-level talks with his Singaporean counterpart on the sidelines of Ecosperity Week 2026 in Singapore.
Professor Charles Anosike, Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), met with Koh Li-Na, Director-General of the Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS), to identify areas for deeper collaboration — with artificial intelligence and aviation research taking center stage.
The two agencies found common ground in their shared tropical climate environments and the outsized role meteorological services play in their respective aviation industries.
A key focus of the discussions was accelerating the adoption of AI models into day-to-day forecasting operations, with the goal of producing faster, more accurate weather predictions and improving downscaling capabilities, a benefits that would ripple across aviation, agriculture, marine services, public health, and disaster risk reduction.
Both NiMet and MSS hold ISO certification for aviation-related services. Anosike expressed interest in replicating Singapore’s successful model of joint aviation research between MSS and the country’s civil aviation authorities, with a view to developing similar provider-user co-created solutions in Nigeria.
The talks also touched on cost-recovery frameworks, the legal structures that support them, AI-driven workforce productivity, and the role of Quality Management Systems in driving operational efficiency.
The meeting carries diplomatic weight as well. Both Nigeria and Singapore are members of the World Meteorological Organization.
Nigeria hosting the WMO Office for North, Central, and West Africa, and Singapore housing the WMO Regional Office for Asia and the South-West Pacific.
The two permanent representatives agreed that cross-border partnerships and shared learning are vital to building forecasting capacity and delivering early warning systems that save lives.