The World Meteorological Organization (WMO)

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It is the UN system's authoritative voice on the state and behaviour of the Earth's atmosphere, its interaction with the oceans, the climate it produces and the resulting distribution of water resources.

WMO has a membership of 188 Member States and Territories (since 24 January 2007). It originated from the International Meteorological Organization (IMO), which was founded in 1873. Established in 1950, WMO became the specialized agency of the United Nations in 1951 for meteorology (weather and climate), operational hydrology and related geophysical sciences.

As weather, climate and the water cycle know no national boundaries, international cooperation at a global scale is essential for the development of meteorology and operational hydrology as well as to reap the benefits from their application. WMO provides the framework for such international cooperation.

WMO facilitates the free and unrestricted exchange of data and information, products and services in real- or near-real time on matters relating to safety and security of society, economic welfare and the protection of the environment. It contributes to policy formulation in these areas at national and international levels.

Vision and mission

The vision of WMO is to provide world leadership in expertise and international cooperation in weather, climate, hydrology and water resources and related environmental issues and thereby contribute to the safety and well-being of people throughout the world and to the economic benefit of all nations.

The mission of WMO is to:

Facilitate worldwide cooperation in the establishment of networks of stations for the making of meteorological observations as well as hydrological and other geophysical observations related to meteorology, and to promote the establishment and maintenance of centres charged with the provision of meteorological and related services;

Promote the establishment and maintenance of systems for the rapid exchange of meteorological and related information;

Promote standardization of meteorological and related observations and to ensure the uniform publication of observations and statistics;

Further the application of meteorology to aviation, shipping, water problems, agriculture and other human activities;

Promote activities in operational hydrology and to further close cooperation between Meteorological and Hydrological Services;

Encourage research and training in meteorology and, as appropriate, in related fields, and to assist in coordinating the international aspects of such research and training.

WMO in Nigeria

Environment and economy are interdependent. Nigeria is quite vulnerable to climate variability, a situation that has led to an increase in natural disasters. Desertification threatens sustainable economic growth and development because it reduces productivity, including water supply, limits opportunities for other land use types, modifies ecosystems and threatens biodiversity and livelihood.

About 45% of the population of Nigeria is dependant on land resources, especially for the production of crops, livestock, fisheries and timber. The other sectors relating to environment include Transport (Air, Sea and Land) and Tourism. An increasing income gives people more resources to ensure basic needs of life i.e. food/water, clothing and shelter and pursue better education, and health care.

WMO assists Nigerian Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in the area of identification of their requirements and formulation of relevant proposals to address the existing short comings of theServices. Under the Voluntary Cooperation Programme of WMO, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), in the Ministry of Aviation has benefited in the areas of infrastructures and manpower developments to enable them play their full role in the socio-economic development of the country.

The NMHSs had been provided with major equipments such as ground receiving station from METEOSAT Second Generation, Digicoras for Upper Air sounding, Dobson Spectrophotometer for environmental measurement, Global Atmospheric Watch station for ozone measurement etc. Many staff of the department had also benefited from WMO Fellowship to undergo trainings in areas such as agro meteorology.

An on-going project, which Nigeria is fully involved in, is West and Central Africa Hydrological Cycle Observing System (AOC - HYCOS) a component of World Hydrological Cycle Observing System (WHYCOS).