*Festus Keyamo.
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, has called for stronger partnerships, innovation and sustainable investment in weather, water and climate services to improve disaster preparedness and reduce the impact of flooding in Nigeria.
Keyamo made the call on Tuesday while declaring open the first annual meeting of the Alliance for Hydromet Development to be held in Africa at Eko Hotels and Suites, Lagos.
The meeting, themed “Partnerships, Innovation and Sustainable Investment in Weather, Water and Climate Services,” brought together stakeholders in meteorology, water management, climate services and disaster risk reduction to discuss strategies for strengthening weather and climate information systems.
At the event, the minister hosted the President of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), Dr Abdulla Al Mandous, alongside members of the organisation’s delegation.
Keyamo said the Federal Government was changing its approach to disaster management by placing greater emphasis on early warnings and anticipatory action rather than responding only after disasters had occurred.
He attributed the shift to the policy direction of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, noting that the use of timely and reliable weather information was becoming increasingly important in efforts to minimise the effects of flooding and other climate-related disasters.
According to the minister, early-warning systems can help authorities and vulnerable communities prepare for impending hazards, take preventive measures and reduce potential losses of lives and property.
The approach, he indicated, requires effective collaboration among government agencies, meteorological institutions, water management authorities and other stakeholders responsible for disaster preparedness and response.
Flooding remains a major concern for communities across Nigeria, with its consequences extending to homes, roads, farmlands, businesses and critical infrastructure. Improving the accuracy, accessibility and communication of weather forecasts is therefore essential to helping communities prepare for extreme weather events.
Beyond issuing forecasts, effective early-warning systems require that relevant information reaches the people who need it in time for them to take appropriate action. This makes coordination between forecasting agencies, emergency management institutions, state governments and local communities an important component of disaster risk reduction.
The Alliance for Hydromet Development meeting provided a platform for stakeholders to examine how partnerships, technological innovation and sustained funding could strengthen the delivery of weather, water and climate services, particularly in countries vulnerable to extreme weather events.
Hydrometeorological services combine meteorological and hydrological information to monitor weather conditions, water resources and related hazards. These services support flood forecasting, agricultural planning, water management, aviation safety and other activities that depend on reliable environmental information.
For Nigeria, stronger hydrometeorological capabilities could improve the ability of relevant agencies to anticipate severe weather, provide timely alerts and support evidence-based decisions across critical sectors of the economy.
The participation of the WMO leadership also underscored the importance of international cooperation in strengthening national weather and climate services, particularly as countries confront the growing challenges associated with extreme weather and climate variability.
The meeting’s focus on sustainable investment further highlighted the need for long-term financial and technical support to improve forecasting infrastructure, modernise observation systems and expand access to reliable weather and climate information.
Keyamo’s remarks reinforced the Federal Government’s stated intention to make anticipatory action a more prominent feature of disaster management, with early warnings serving as a tool for reducing the human and economic costs of flooding.
The success of such efforts will depend on sustained investment in forecasting capabilities, effective coordination among relevant institutions and the ability to translate scientific information into practical action by governments, businesses and vulnerable communities.