AATF, NiMet, stakeholders advocate collaborative climate action

A major step toward strengthening climate resilience in African agriculture was taken on Monday, as stakeholders from across sectors converged at the “Climate Resilience in Action: Collaborative Approaches to Adaptation” conference in Abuja.

Co-hosted by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), Michigan State University, and Sahel Consulting, the symposium brought together government officials, scientists, development partners, and private sector leaders to champion coordinated strategies for tackling the escalating climate crisis in Africa.

Delivering the opening remarks on behalf of the AATF, Kayode Sanni underscored the urgency of climate-smart solutions.

“As climate disruption accelerates, its impact on Africa’s agricultural systems becomes more personal, especially for smallholder farmers,” he said.

Highlighting AATF’s current partnerships, including those with Michigan State University and universities in Nigeria, Sanni announced that the foundation is targeting women and youth-led MSMEs in the rice, maize, and cowpea value chains with climate-smart decision support tools.

The AATF initiative, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is currently being implemented in three Nigerian states.

“We must move beyond isolated interventions. To achieve real climate resilience, these innovations need to be scaled nationally, embedded in ecosystems, and supported through enduring partnerships”, Sanni said.

He commended the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) for providing critical localized climate data, which has proven essential for informed decision-making by farmers.

Professor Charles Anosike, Director-General/CEO of NiMet, emphasized the importance of collaborative action. He cited Nigeria’s vulnerability to climate-related disasters such as erratic rainfall, droughts, and flooding, which have dire implications for food security and economic stability.

“Building climate resilience requires everyone, governments, civil society, businesses, to integrate climate action into every aspect of planning and development,” Anosike stressed.

Professor Anosike also emphasized the importance of investing in modern weather infrastructure.

“More than 60% of weather data in the region is collected manually, often by non-professionals. We must increase our network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) to improve accuracy and reach,” he said.

He called for the deployment of digital tools and mobile-based early warning systems to enhance agricultural productivity and mitigate climate risks.

Daniel Uyeh, an Assistant Professor from Michigan State University and weather station development lead, spotlighted recent technological innovations.

“We have built an open-source, affordable, and locally manufactured weather station system. These stations are already helping farmers in Nigeria and Kenya adapt to changing weather patterns with real-time, hyper-local forecasts”, Uyeh said.

He emphasized the role of democratized data in transforming African agriculture. “This is not just technology, it’s empowerment. When communities can access, understand, and use their own climate data, they can plan better and protect their livelihoods,” he noted.

He reiterated that scaling these systems across the continent is critical and requires deep collaboration with national agencies, donors, and private tech partners.