The Federal Government and the government of India have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the conduct of Meteorological science, technical research and development.
A statement by James Odaudu, Special Assistant to the Minister of Aviation on Public Affairs, said that the MoU was signed on behalf of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) by Prof. Mansur Matazu, its Director-General and Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, Director-General of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) who signed on behalf of the agency.
The statement hinted that the signing was done during the recent Executive Council Meeting of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), which took place in Geneva, Switzerland.
Commenting on the MoU, Matazu said its main objective was to provide a bilateral relationship between NiMet and its Indian counterpart, towards meteorological development in the two countries.
He explained that the parties had agreed to work together in the provision of WMO-standardised services in Numerical Weather Prediction Capability, Meteorological Sensor Designing and Satellite Meteorology.
Other proposed areas of collaboration included scientific research on meteorology and its applications in various sectors, ‘Nowcasting’ and early warning capabilities and capacity-building activities.
He added that the MoU also provides that all inventions, improvements, original works and/or discoveries, which are conceived or made during collaborative projects would remain the property of both parties who would jointly have the right to seek intellectual property protection.
Both parties are also expected to ensure that such cooperation consists of their respective laws, rules, regulations and other international agreements to which both parties are signatories.
To ensure a seamless implementation of the memorandum, the statement explained that the two countries resolved to set up a technical committee of six members (three members representing each of the parties) to implement the MoU, while the position of Chairman of the Committee would alternate between the parties on annual basis.
The technical committee would have the responsibility of advising on legal, training and financial procedures for the implementation of the MoU and monitoring the progress of the collaboration and preparing annual reports.
Speaking after the event, Sen. Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, who oversaw the signing ceremony alongside the Indian High Mission to Geneva, said the signing of the MoU, marked another milestone in the unprecedented growth of NiMet under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
According to him, the event was also a great testimonial to the global leadership of NiMet within the world meteorological community, which has been attained during the current tenure of Matazu as the Director-General of Nimet.
He expressed his optimism that the recent NiMet Act signed by President Buhari would be a tonic for the further growth of the organisation both professionally and economically.
