NiMet to sign MoU with UK meteorology office on marine meteorological services

Anuforom, who was speaking when the Senate Committee on Aviation visited the agency as part of its oversight functions on Monday in Abuja, said the MoU would be signed in July.He said that the essence of the MoU was to enhance the agency’s commercial capabilities in the country.Anuforom said that the agency made significant progress […]

Anuforom, who was speaking when the Senate Committee on Aviation visited the agency as part of its oversight functions on Monday in Abuja, said the MoU would be signed in July.
He said that the essence of the MoU was to enhance the agency’s commercial capabilities in the country.
Anuforom said that the agency made significant progress in infrastructure development in the last three years.
According to him, in 2012, the agency had no Doppler Weather Radar, saying it now installed two in Abuja and Port Harcourt.
He added that installation work was ongoing in Yola and Maiduguri.
He also said that the agency had, in 2012, only one low level wind shear alert system at the Abuja Airport, but now had nine in different airports across the country.
He said: “The agency had only six locations in the country with thunderstorm detector systems as of 2012; now the agency has in 20 different locations. Only five airports had Integrated Aviation Weather Observation and Displays System (AWODS).
“Now we have them in 14 airports, in Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Kano, Sokoto and others.”
Anuforom said that NiMet, in compliance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) and World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), underwent a quality management system audit process in 2011 and was finally certified in 2013.
He said that the certification had so far boosted the confidence of airlines operators and other users of the agency’s meteorological data products. (NAN)
The director-general observed that NiMet was the first meteorological agency in West Africa to meet the requirements and receive the ISO certification.
 He explained that the agency wanted to achieve 50 to 50 ratio aeronautical and non-aeronautical investment in 2016, adding that it attained 95 to 5 ratios in 2011.
Anuforom pleaded with the senate committee to ensure the review of the NiMet Act so as to empower the agency.
He said that the Act was last reviewed 11 years ago. (NAN)