MOWCA, NiMET sign MoU to advance maritime safety
Maureen Aguta
The Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA) and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) have agreed on a joint action to promote maritime weather observation, early warnings, and capacity building (focusing on Marine Meteorology) for MOWCA member states.
This formed part of the agreement in the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed recently by NiMet and MOWCA in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.
Speaking at the MoU signing ceremony, the Director General/CEO, NiMet, Professor Charles Anosike said NiMet will also leverage MOWCA’s mandate and reach to enhance its service delivery.
“Nigeria Meteorological Agency is the authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of Nigeria’s atmosphere and its interaction with all aspects of the economy. NiMet regulates and advises the Nigerian government on all aspects of meteorology towards sustainable economic development. As weather, climate, and water cycles cannot be controlled by a country, international cooperation is essential for the development of meteorology”.
Speaking further, he said: “We share common problems of maritime safety and security, and pollution of maritime waters as the West and Central African region is largely dependent on maritime transport. Therefore, the safety of maritime operations demands that weather information be broadcast to ships twice a day as stipulated by the SOLAS convention and the World Meteorological Organisation.
“This information includes quality data, analysis, warnings, and weather forecasts. Improving the collection and regional exchange of ocean-based observational data will deliver additional socioeconomic benefits to our region. Investment in ocean observation infrastructure and capacity development is highly needed to ensure that weather information provided covers all shipping lines and fishing grounds in MOWCA member states,” Professor Anosike said.
He also said that the partnership presents opportunities for both parties to collaborate and promote compliance with the SOLAS convention. He also requested funding support for ocean observation infrastructure to enable regional maritime weather information sharing across member states.
Responding, the Secretary General of MOWCA, Dr Paul Adalikwu acknowledged that NiMet is doing a good job providing weather and climate information for the maritime and other sectors.
“The role of meteorological agencies in maritime operations cannot be overemphasised as they are essential in delivering precise weather forecasts and timely warnings, which significantly enhance the safety of vessels by predicting storms, tides and sea conditions.
“Considering the large number of vessels that pass through Nigerian waterways, it’s very important that we partner with NiMet and so should other stakeholders in the maritime sector too. We have listened to NiMet’s presentation and are impressed by it. We will escalate the issues raised as well as the services that NiMet offers to our member states and encourage them to take advantage of the best practices that Nigeria has to offer,” Dr Adalikwu said.