NiMet Training School gets WMO re-accreditation
Accreditation
By Sumaila Ogbaje
Abuja, June 18, 2019 (NAN) The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Oshodi, Lagos has been re-accredited of its training programmes by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
A statement by NiMet’s General Manager, Corporate Communications, Mr Muntari Yusuf, said that the confirmation was contained in a report presented at the ongoing WMO Executive Council (EC-71) in Geneva.
Yusuf said the report also indicated that the centre was the only WMO’s RTC that had achieved full re-accreditation status by the WMO so far in Africa.
He added that the aim of the review process was to support the RTCs in providing high quality training programmes that would contribute to meeting regional training needs.
“The main focus of the external review was on how the WMO RTC is meeting regional and international training needs.
“The review examines the quality of education and training based on the established criteria for WMO RTCs.
“It is also based on the derived benefits such as benefits derived by the students, trends in student’s achievements, physical infrastructure and materials needed for conducive learning environment and quantity of output,” he said.
The Director General of NiMet, Prof. Sani Mashi, said that the agency had the statutory responsibility to train and undertake research in the field of tropical meteorology, agricultural, hydro, aeronautical and marine meteorology.
Mashi said that NiMet got the approval of the former Minister of State, Aviation Sen. Hadi Sirika to carryout overhaul of the necessary facilities needed to meet up with the requirements of the re-accreditation.
According to him, training in NiMet, formerly the Nigerian Department of Meteorological Services, dated back to the 1950s when the National Meteorological Training School, Oshodi started training Job-entry for Meteorological Technicians.
“In pursuance of the WMO plan for the development of meteorological training in Africa, a Regional Meteorological Training Centre was established in Ikeja, Lagos in 1964 to train Medium level Meteorological Technicians and Senior Meteorological Technicians.
“In 1975, the Regional Meteorological Training Centre and the Meteorological Training School were merged to form the present Regional Training Centre (RTC),” he said.
The NiMet boss further disclosed that the RTC provides training to support the activities of NiMet to boost the professional manpower resources of the Agency.
He added that training was provided to personnel from various MDAs, Institutions and Companies within Nigeria as well as personnel from National Meteorological Services of West Africa.
According to him, the centre is currently providing training for Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Gambia, Cameroun, Botswana, Zambia, Malawi, Guinea, Tanzania, Lesotho and Kenya.
He said that the training of MDAs personnel was to enhance manpower in the application of meteorology to socio-economic development of Nigeria and African region in general. (NAN)
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