FG pledges continuous support to Gambia as NIMET graduates Gambian trainees

The Federal Government through Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) has pledged to continue to support The Gambia and other needy nations in the training of meteorological technicians to highlight the importance attached to the contribution of meteorology to sustainable socio-economic development, as well as the safety of citizens.

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, stated this at the inaugural graduation ceremony of middle-level meteorological technicians trained by NiMet held in Banjul, The Gambia.

According to Sirika: “Aviation is a serious business with critical safety requirements and socio-economic impacts. Hence, personnel working in this sector must be highly skilled and competent.”

The minister said that one of the instruments of the partnership was through the World Meteorological Organization Regional Training Centres and affiliated training institutes which W.M.O. encouraged member countries to close the gap through increased cooperation and collective partnership such as the ongoing one between Nigeria and The Gambia.

Sirika disclosed that Nimet has done this due to huge support from the Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Aviation via robust budgetary provisions.

He said most of the operational funding for the agency was derived from an allocation from the contributory service basket provided to the aviation industry by the agencies under the ministry.

Giving kudos to the World Meteorological Organization for championing and supporting countries to effectively engage in Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), Sirika declared: “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 iteratively engaged, and users are contributing significantly information management and weather & climate service-level products. These will contribute to capabilities towards 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).

His words: “In the phase of dwindling revenue by Governments worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of PPE cannot be overemphasised. Once, Trust has been established with an appropriate legal document such as a 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, The Gambia, Honourable 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.”

For Gomez, The Gambia authority noted the efforts Nigeria was making towards the capacity development of its personnel in fundamental aspects of meteorological observations and forecasting, as well as quality management system, all geared towards meeting the standard set by WMO and ICAO.

“On behalf of the Government and People of the Republic of The Gambia, I once again extend our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the Government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for the bi-lateral assistance it has been rendering in many ways to help improve the standard of the Meteorological services in The Gambia.

“We particularly note the efforts you have been making towards the capacity development of our personnel in fundamental aspects of meteorological observations and forecasting, as well as quality management system, all geared towards meeting the standard set by World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).”

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