The Nigerian Meteorological Agency and the Women Farmers Advancement Network, a non-profit organisation dedicated to empowering smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth, have met to discuss strategies for mitigating the impact of climate disasters on Nigerian farmers.

This was disclosed in a statement by NiMet on Monday. According to the statement, the agency’s Director-General, Charles Anosike, said, “I commend WOFAN for the amazing work they have done over the years since 1993, with a network of close to 700,000 farmers and their various community-based agricultural projects.

“I consider the partnership between WOFAN and NiMet as one of my most important achievements because of the potential positive impact it would have on agricultural yield in Nigeria.”

Anosike further explained that the partnership comes at a critical time following the public unveiling of NiMet’s Seasonal Climate Prediction in February 2025.

“We are highly dependent on rain-fed agriculture in Nigeria. Our work at NiMet won’t be complete if our products and information are not passed to the farmers and other end users.

“With this partnership, we can meet the farmers before the onset of the rains to guide them properly on how to respond, reduce damages, reduce and manage pests, and also reduce illnesses. We would also have the opportunity, through interacting with the farmers, to receive feedback from them on the impact of our weather information on their yield,” Anosike concluded.

In response, the founder of WOFAN, Salamatu Garba, praised Anosike and the NiMet team for their consistency in providing weather and climate information.

She highlighted the importance of the partnership in strengthening WOFAN’s climate-smart initiatives.

“We have always received NiMet data from other sources, but with this partnership, we will have more direct access,” said Garba.