The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to support Gambia and other nations in the training of meteorological technicians.
Speaking in Banjul, Gambia at the inaugural graduation ceremony of middle level meteorological technicians trained by the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NIMET), the Minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika said that the decision is to further prove the importance attached to the contribution of meteorology to sustainable socio-economic development, as well as safety of citizens.
In a statement signed by Muntari Ibrahim Yusuf of the Corporate Communications unit, National Weather Forecasting and Climate Research Centre, Nigerian Meteorological Agency, the Minister noted that aviation is a serious business with critical safety requirements and socio-economic impacts. Hence, personnel working on this sector must be highly skilled and competent.
He said that one of the instruments of the partnership was through the World Meteorological Organization Regional Training Centres and affiliated training institutes which World Meteorological Organization (WMO) encouraged member countries to close the gap through increased cooperation and collective partnership such as the ongoing one between Nigeria and Gambia.
Hadi Sirika disclosed that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) has done this due to huge support from Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Aviation via robust budgetary provisions. As most of the operational funding for the Agency were derived from allocation from the contributory service basket provided to the Aviation Industry by the Agencies under the ministry.
The minister commended the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) for championing and supporting countries to effectively engage in Public Private Partnerships (PPP).
“This is because the future of service provision and user interface should effectively move from a linear type of value chain to an interactive environment where systems, data, solutions, and end users are engaged, and users are contributing significantly to information management and weather & climate service-level products. These will contribute to capabilities toward meeting global targets of the sustainable development goals”.
“This vision is realisable where regular meetings with vulnerable sectors to promote interaction and strengthen the provision and utilisation of meteorological services exist. As a strategy to further strengthen the expansion of weather and climate services to vulnerable sectors and the user community, NIMET therefore realizes that partnerships and engagement with the private sector cannot be overemphasized”.
The Nigerian Government, the Minister said, has the appropriate Legal Framework that enables NIMET to participate in collaborative and effective Public-Private-Engagements (PPEs).
“In the phase of dwindling revenue by Governments worsened by the COVID19 pandemic, the importance of PPE cannot be overemphasised. Once Trust has been established with appropriate legal document such as Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that is clear on the role of individual parties and sharing formula of all expected benefits, PPE is the way to go. This is another area; Nigeria can be of help”.
He equally commended the Government of the Gambia for taking the initiative to conceive the concept that led to the graduation ceremony, and the Minister of Fisheries and Water Resources for making excellent arrangements to ensure the success of the capacity development initiative.
“The presence of dignitaries here today is a testament to the critical value of the training programme and its impacts on the people and the developmental process in The Gambia. This goes to highlight the importance attached to contributions of meteorology to sustainable socio-economic development, as well as safety of citizens
of this great Country”
On his part, the Minister, Ministry of Fisheries and Water Resources, Gambia Hon. James Furmus Peter Gomez, commended the Federal Government of Nigeria, saying the training partnership will further strengthen the cordial and fruitful bi-lateral ties that exist between the Department of Water Resources and NiMet and by extension the two countries.
“The challenge of improving the resilience of communities to climate vulnerabilities, risks and disasters is a key element in the strategies and solutions envisioned by the Government of The Gambia, as stated in the National Development Plan(NDP) as well as in both the Agriculture & Natural Resources and National Climate Change Policies. While the answer seems to be the existence of dedicated structures with an organizational system, the provision of adapted sectoral services to cope with extreme weather and climate risks is becoming increasingly important”
