By: Goodluck E. Adubazi. Abuja.

An Innovative collaboration with Barani and WASCAL promises accurate, energy-efficient weather forecasting across Nigeria.

Accordingly, The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) is ushering in a new era of urban climate monitoring with the introduction of state-of-the-art Internet of Things (IoT) weather stations designed to enhance the accuracy and efficiency of meteorological data collection nationwide.

The cutting-edge initiative, powered by LoRaWAN-enabled automatic weather stations from Barani Design Technologies in collaboration with the West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), is expected to revolutionize Nigeria’s weather observation network and strengthen climate resilience in cities.

Speaking during the handover ceremony, Engr. Hamid Abdulkareem, NiMet’s Director of Engineering and Technical Services, who represented the Director-General/CEO of NiMet, described the project as “strategic and innovative within the weather forecasting value chain.”

“This initiative marks a significant step forward in our commitment to providing accurate and timely weather information,” Abdulkareem said. “These advanced weather stations will be instrumental in helping us achieve our targets for improved forecasting capability and public service delivery.”

He revealed that the donation complements the 25 Barani Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) already in operation within NiMet’s network, adding that a total of 59 compact AWS — including the new Barani systems — are being reactivated to boost the nation’s weather station density and forecasting capacity.

The DG/CEO further urged Barani and WASCAL to work closely with NiMet’s technical teams on capacity building to ensure long-term sustainability and seamless data transmission to the agency’s central system.

In his remarks, Mr. Jan Barani, CEO of Barani Design Technologies, emphasized that the new generation of IoT-powered weather stations represents a breakthrough in smart, energy-efficient climate monitoring.

“Our goal is to make weather monitoring systems compatible with modern smart city environments,” Barani explained. “Traditional weather stations often struggle with inconsistent data and relocation challenges — this new design overcomes those limitations while minimizing power consumption through IoT wireless technology.”

The new stations are fully compliant with World Meteorological Organization (WMO) standards, ensuring that data collected across Nigeria remains accurate, comparable, and globally consistent.

Adding his voice, Mr. Diallo Abdulaziz, Coordinator of Data Management at WASCAL, highlighted the partnership’s focus on strengthening connectivity and power solutions for NiMet’s weather network.

“This collaboration is part of a broader effort to build a resilient and technologically advanced meteorological system for Nigeria,” Abdulaziz stated.

With these smart stations, NiMet is not only enhancing its forecasting precision but also paving the way for data-driven urban planning, climate adaptation, and disaster risk reduction — key pillars in Nigeria’s response to the growing challenges of climate change.