A Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in the conduct of meteorological science, technical research, and development has been signed by the federal government and the government of India.

During the most recent Executive Council meeting of the World Meteorological Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, the Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, Prof. Mansur Matazu, and the Director-General of the Indian Meteorological Department, Dr. Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, who signed on behalf of IMD, signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The MoU’s major goal, according to the DG NiMet, was to establish a bilateral partnership between NiMet and its Indian counterpart in order to advance meteorological development in the two nations.

The parties have concurred to cooperate in the delivery of WMO-standardized services in numerical weather prediction capabilities, meteorological sensor designing, and satellite meteorology, according to the Memorandum of Understanding.

Other planned areas of collaboration, according to the agency, include scientific research on meteorology and its uses in many industries, “Nowcasting” and early warning capabilities, and actions aimed at increasing capacity.

All inventions, improvements, original works, and discoveries that are conceived or made during collaborative projects will remain the property of both parties, who will jointly have the right to seek the protection of intellectual property, according to a statement made on Sunday by James Odaudu, Special Assistant to the Minister of Aviation.

Both parties are also obligated to make sure that such collaboration complies with any other international agreements to which both parties are signatories as well as their own laws, rules, and regulations.

The statement read, “In order to ensure a seamless implementation of the Memorandum, the two countries resolved that a technical committee of six members, three representing each of the Parties, shall be established to implement this MoU, with the chairmanship of the committee to be rotated annually between the Parties.

The technical committee is tasked with providing guidance on the implementation of the Memorandum of Understanding, monitoring the development of the collaboration, and preparing yearly reports.