By Paul Joseph
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is advancing a digital platform designed to provide farmers, livestock keepers and agricultural advisers with easier access to reliable, location-specific weather and climate information.
Known as the NiMet Data Hub, the initiative is being developed in partnership with the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and Crea2Solutions and has progressed from the design and mock-up stage to an advanced Minimum Viable Product.
NiMet’s weather and climate services are currently being tested on the platform as efforts continue to develop a system capable of supporting climate-informed agricultural decisions.
Work on the hub commenced in February 2026 under the Climate Services for Youth (CS4Y) and AGRA programmes. By July, the project had advanced to a testable product, with the platform expected to provide access to historical, monitored and forecast climate information.
The initiative is aimed at helping agricultural stakeholders improve seasonal planning, assess climate-related risks and make more informed decisions based on timely weather information.
The project also seeks to address longstanding challenges in agricultural climate services, including fragmented data, weak coordination among information providers and difficulties in translating technical forecasts into practical advice for farmers and other end users.
Stakeholder engagements jointly organised by NiMet and ILRI have focused on mapping Nigeria’s agro-meteorological data and advisory landscape, identifying gaps in information delivery, strengthening institutional collaboration and improving communication with users at the grassroots.
The engagements have also placed emphasis on gender and social inclusion to ensure that climate information services reach a broader range of agricultural stakeholders.
The Data Hub is expected to support farmers, pastoralists, extension workers, researchers, government agencies and private advisory service providers.
NiMet resources, including its online map rooms and agricultural climate products, are expected to contribute to the platform, helping generate more context-specific agro-weather advisories.
ILRI’s role is linked to its broader work in organising research data, developing digital tools and improving access to information for partners and decision-makers.
The initiative aligns with Nigeria’s broader priorities on food security, climate-smart agriculture and digital services under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
By making climate information more accessible and usable, the platform is expected to strengthen preparedness, help agricultural producers manage weather-related risks and support more resilient agri-food livelihoods.
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