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Norway contributes US$ 10 million to support climate services for adaptation in Africa
GENEVA – The World Meteorological Organization has partnered with leading research, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to launch the Climate Services Adaptation Programme in Africa in an effort to increase the climate change resilience of some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.
The programme, funded by a grant of US$ 9 750 000 (NOK 60 000 000) from the Government of Norway, is the first multi-agency initiative to be implemented under the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). It represents a unique approach that includes natural and social scientists as well as large development and humanitarian agencies working on the ground in a bid to ensure that climate services are tailored to the practical needs of the user community.
The challenges are huge. An estimated 70 nations, including many of the Least Developed Countries, have inadequate or no climate services and are ill-equipped to meet the challenges of both natural variations in the climate and human-induced climate change.
WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud and State Secretary Hans Brattskar of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed the agreement today during the annual climate change conference taking place in Warsaw.
“The Climate Services Adaptation Programme in Africa is a model of how a wide range of partners can unite to ensure that the benefits of scientific advances reach those who are most at risk from weather and climate-linked hazards,” said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. “The funding from Norway will allow us to roll out climate services to help African countries adapt to our changing climate and to increase resilience to droughts and floods and other extremes.”
“Africa is the continent most vulnerable to a wide range of impacts of climate change. Africa is already facing a decrease in food production, floods and inundation of coastal zones and deltas, as well as the spread of waterborne diseases and malaria. Often it is the most vulnerable people that suffer the most, and there is an urgent need for effective and coordinated action. Norway firmly believes that with this multi-agency climate services program, we can deliver climate services to those vulnerable people and also contribute to strengthening the global framework as the knowledge and action hub of climate services,” said Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Børge Brende.
The provision of more and better climate services will allow farmers to fine-tune their planting and marketing strategies based on seasonal climate forecasts; empower disaster risk managers to prepare more effectively for droughts and heavy precipitation; assist public health services to target vaccine and other prevention campaigns to limit climate-related disease outbreaks such as malaria and meningitis; and help improve the management of water resources. These activities all contribute to appropriate adaptation planning to a changing climate.
The main countries to benefit initially will be Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania. The programme will build on existing climate services in food security, nutrition and health, and disaster risk reduction at national, local and regional level. It is intended that the Climate Services Adaptation Programme will become operational in other African countries in the future and will serve as a model for other parts of the world.
“The Norwegian support for the GFCS project in Malawi will enable consideration of how to better meet user needs in Malawi, and provide opportunity to make progress,” said Mr. Jolamu L Nkhokwe, Director of Climate Change and Meteorological Services in Malawi. “While a great emphasis in Malawi has been placed on the ability to forecast large-scale rainfall patterns, it is a known factor that users often request tailored packages that integrate a variety of information, including more detailed features of the expected rainfall, other climate variables, and information about the consequences of the expected climate. Within this project, a number of simple methods of statistical downscaling of the large scale climate product will be turned into the type of rainfall information requested by many users in Malawi.”
Dr Agnes Kijazi, Director General of the Tanzania Meteorological Agency, said “The Programme will be a significant opportunity for enhancing availability of wide range of data and assuring better access to all available data and information. Furthermore, the programme will empower the meteorological agency to better serve our key customers, in particular the agriculture sector and the authorities responsible for disaster management in the country. This in turn will contribute to improved food security and disaster management for the country.”
The Climate Services Adaptation Programme in Africa is implemented by seven partner organizations: WMO; the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research – Oslo (CICERO); the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI); the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); the World Food Programme (WFP); and the World Health Organization (WHO).
There is growing momentum towards the provision of climate services in both developed and developing countries alike within the context of the Global Framework for Climate Services. This is a country-driven initiative to provide accurate and accessible climate services to users such as disaster management authorities, water and energy utilities, public health agencies, the transport sector, and farmers, as well as the community at large.
This new programme is building on achievements made under another Norwegian supported programme. The GFCS Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Africa programme started in 2011 with the aim of contributing to the amelioration of weather and climate related disasters and to climate change adaptation in Africa through operationalizing the Global Framework for Climate Services. Tangible impacts obtained so far with Norwegian support include the holding of roving seminars for farmers in 17 different African countries, during which the farmers have received information about weather and climate, future climate change and the implications in their region, climatic risk in production of different crops in their region and better risk management.
The World Meteorological Organization is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water
GENEVA – The World Meteorological Organization has partnered with leading research, UN agencies and humanitarian organizations to launch the Climate Services Adaptation Programme in Africa in an effort to increase the climate change resilience of some of the world’s most vulnerable countries.
The programme, funded by a grant of US$ 9 750 000 (NOK 60 000 000) from the Government of Norway, is the first multi-agency initiative to be implemented under the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). It represents a unique approach that includes natural and social scientists as well as large development and humanitarian agencies working on the ground in a bid to ensure that climate services are tailored to the practical needs of the user community.
The challenges are huge. An estimated 70 nations, including many of the Least Developed Countries, have inadequate or no climate services and are ill-equipped to meet the challenges of both natural variations in the climate and human-induced climate change.
WMO Secretary-General Michel Jarraud and State Secretary Hans Brattskar of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs signed the agreement today during the annual climate change conference taking place in Warsaw.
“The Climate Services Adaptation Programme in Africa is a model of how a wide range of partners can unite to ensure that the benefits of scientific advances reach those who are most at risk from weather and climate-linked hazards,” said World Meteorological Organization Secretary-General Michel Jarraud. “The funding from Norway will allow us to roll out climate services to help African countries adapt to our changing climate and to increase resilience to droughts and floods and other extremes.”
“Africa is the continent most vulnerable to a wide range of impacts of climate change. Africa is already facing a decrease in food production, floods and inundation of coastal zones and deltas, as well as the spread of waterborne diseases and malaria. Often it is the most vulnerable people that suffer the most, and there is an urgent need for effective and coordinated action. Norway firmly believes that with this multi-agency climate services program, we can deliver climate services to those vulnerable people and also contribute to strengthening the global framework as the knowledge and action hub of climate services,” said Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr Børge Brende.
The provision of more and better climate services will allow farmers to fine-tune their planting and marketing strategies based on seasonal climate forecasts; empower disaster risk managers to prepare more effectively for droughts and heavy precipitation; assist public health services to target vaccine and other prevention campaigns to limit climate-related disease outbreaks such as malaria and meningitis; and help improve the management of water resources. These activities all contribute to appropriate adaptation planning to a changing climate.
The main countries to benefit initially will be Malawi and the United Republic of Tanzania. The programme will build on existing climate services in food security, nutrition and health, and disaster risk reduction at national, local and regional level. It is intended that the Climate Services Adaptation Programme will become operational in other African countries in the future and will serve as a model for other parts of the world.
“The Norwegian support for the GFCS project in Malawi will enable consideration of how to better meet user needs in Malawi, and provide opportunity to make progress,” said Mr. Jolamu L Nkhokwe, Director of Climate Change and Meteorological Services in Malawi. “While a great emphasis in Malawi has been placed on the ability to forecast large-scale rainfall patterns, it is a known factor that users often request tailored packages that integrate a variety of information, including more detailed features of the expected rainfall, other climate variables, and information about the consequences of the expected climate. Within this project, a number of simple methods of statistical downscaling of the large scale climate product will be turned into the type of rainfall information requested by many users in Malawi.”
Dr Agnes Kijazi, Director General of the Tanzania Meteorological Agency, said “The Programme will be a significant opportunity for enhancing availability of wide range of data and assuring better access to all available data and information. Furthermore, the programme will empower the meteorological agency to better serve our key customers, in particular the agriculture sector and the authorities responsible for disaster management in the country. This in turn will contribute to improved food security and disaster management for the country.”
The Climate Services Adaptation Programme in Africa is implemented by seven partner organizations: WMO; the CGIAR Research Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS); the Centre for International Climate and Environmental Research – Oslo (CICERO); the Chr. Michelsen Institute (CMI); the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC); the World Food Programme (WFP); and the World Health Organization (WHO).
There is growing momentum towards the provision of climate services in both developed and developing countries alike within the context of the Global Framework for Climate Services. This is a country-driven initiative to provide accurate and accessible climate services to users such as disaster management authorities, water and energy utilities, public health agencies, the transport sector, and farmers, as well as the community at large.
This new programme is building on achievements made under another Norwegian supported programme. The GFCS Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction in Africa programme started in 2011 with the aim of contributing to the amelioration of weather and climate related disasters and to climate change adaptation in Africa through operationalizing the Global Framework for Climate Services. Tangible impacts obtained so far with Norwegian support include the holding of roving seminars for farmers in 17 different African countries, during which the farmers have received information about weather and climate, future climate change and the implications in their region, climatic risk in production of different crops in their region and better risk management.
The World Meteorological Organization is the United Nations System’s authoritative voice on Weather, Climate and Water
With Aviation Kerosene (Jet A1) price persistently skyrocketing of late, Nigerian airlines have been forced to prune down their operations.
The airlines claim that the continuous spike in fuel price has pushed operating expenses to unsustainable levels, forcing tough decisions on route frequency and scheduling.
The latest to announce a reduction on flights is Ibom Air.
The airline, on Monday, said it may reduce flight operations to sustain services to its customers and the nation as the jet fuel crisis bites harder.
In a statement by the airline’s Group Manager, Marketing and Communication, Aniekan Essienette, Ibom Air described the worsening fuel price situation as an unprecedented crisis for Nigeria’s domestic operators, revealing that the cost of fueling one of its aircraft has more than tripled between January and today.
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He said: “From an average of N2.1m per flight in January, as of today, the 26th of April, we are paying approximately N7.6m to fuel every flight. This is a more than 350 per cent increase since the beginning of March, a space of just seven weeks! And our aircraft are some of the most fuel efficient in the domestic market.
“At this point, domestic airlines are baffled at why the price of aviation fuel in Nigeria has ballooned to this level, way above the rest of the world, while the fuel marketers obtain 95 per cent or more of their aviation fuel from Dangote Refinery.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that a combination of competitive pressures and patriotism have prevented a commensurate increase in our fares, meaning that we and our fellow domestic airlines have had to absorb the immense operating losses resulting from this situation.
“We chose to do this believing that the crisis would pass in a week or two, but it has persisted now for nearly two months, continuously increasing, with no reprieve in sight as at today. While we continue to do everything we can to maintain normal operations, it is clear to us that the current conditions are unsustainable,” the airline said.
The airline also called on the fuel marketers to seriously reconsider the pricing of aviation fuel to make the airline business model continue to work in Nigeria.
Recently, Air Peace also announced that it has reduced its Abuja to London flights to three times a week starting from July 1.
The airline said this is due to the current aviation fuel supply which is affecting flight operations nationwide and around the world.
In a statement, it said: “We wish to inform you that our Abuja to London service has been temporarily adjusted to three weekly flights until July 1.
“This measure is necessary to maintain the highest standards of safety and operational reliability during this period, with full operational frequency on our London service scheduled to resume from July 1.
“We recognise that this adjustment may impact your travel plans, and we deeply appreciate your patience and understanding.” In the past few weeks , Nigerian airlines have raised the alarm over the astronomical cost of aviation fuel. Struggling to stay afloat amid a suffocating operating space, they called on the federal government to urgently cushion the heavy losses they suffered following a 300 per cent surge in Jet A1 prices imposed by oil marketers.
The spokesperson of the AON, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, said in a recent television interview that fuel marketers are to be blamed for what they describe as deliberate price manipulation and artificial scarcity, accusations the marketers have denied.
He added that the spike in the price of Jet A1 fuel cannot be justified and that just a month ago, airline operators were purchasing Jet A1 at below N1,000 per litre, with prices ranging between N950 and N970 but that today, that same litre is being sold at prices ranging from N2,500 to as high as N3,300, an increase of between 150 and 300 percent depending on the location.
One of Nigeria’s domestic refineries, Waltersmith Petroman Oil Limited, has marked a major milestone in the drive for local energy self-sufficiency, with the successful expansion of its refinery’s capacity to 10,000 barrels per day (bpd).
The achievement was highlighted during an official inspection visit by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) and the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) to the company’s Phase 2 facility at Ibigwe, Imo State, at the weekend.
The delegation led by NMDPRA’s Authority Chief Executive, Saidu Mohammed, alongside representatives of the NCDMB, assessed the operational readiness of the upgraded facility. The Phase 2 expansion effectively doubles Waltersmith’s refining capacity from 5,000 to 10,000 bpd, positioning the company as a key contributor to Nigeria’s domestic refining ambitions.
“What WalterSmith has accomplished is no small feat. This is a powerful demonstration that Nigerians have both the capability and responsibility to take charge of the midstream sector which is the true engine room of our economy,” NMDPRA’s Mohammed said.
Besides, the NMDPRA highlighted the company’s compliance with the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 and praised its operational standards.
Chairman of Waltersmith, Abdulrazaq Isa, emphasised that the expansion reflects both technical discipline and alignment with national energy policy objectives while maintaining strict adherence to regulatory standards, particularly those set by the NMDPRA.
“We are moving Nigeria beyond an extractive oil economy to one focused on value creation. By refining locally, integrating upstream resources, and building an industrial hub, we are laying a sustainable foundation for long-term economic growth,” Isa said.
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The upgraded facility introduces an expanded product slate, including Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) and Aviation Turbine Kerosene (ATK). These additions are expected to improve supply reliability for Nigeria’s transportation and aviation sectors, while reinforcing the broader goal of transitioning from a crude-export-dependent economy to one focused on value addition.
Regulatory approval is nearing completion, Waltersmith said, with the visit serving as a final assessment ahead of the issuance of a Licence to Operate (LTO) for full commercial operations of Phase 2.
Looking forward, Waltersmith said it plans to expand beyond refining through the development of the Waltersmith Industrial and Innovation Park, a Free Trade Zone (FTZ) anchored by gas-to-power infrastructure.
The initiative, it stressed, aims to attract petrochemical and manufacturing companies, supporting Nigeria’s “Decade of Gas” strategy and fostering long-term industrial growth.
“As we enter this next phase, our continued collaboration with the Authority is critical. We are not just building a refinery; we are building a self-sustaining industrial city that contributes meaningfully to Nigeria’s energy security and regional economic development,” Isa emphasised.
A defining feature of the Waltersmith project, the organisation said, is its partnership with the NCDMB, which holds a 30 per cent equity stake.
NCDMB’s Executive Secretary, Felix Ogbe, represented by the Director of Legal Services, Naboth Onyesoh, said the investment has not only catalysed a scalable refining operation but has also created substantial jobs for Nigerians.
“Our partnership with WalterSmith underscores the power of collaboration in driving local content development. This investment has not only catalysed a scalable refining operation but has also created substantial jobs for Nigerians and strengthened our collective capacity to reduce dependence on imports while improving national living standards,” he stated.
The project, Waltersmith stressed, also has strong financial backing, combining private investment with institutional funding from the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC) and the Bank of Industry (BoI). This blended financing approach, it explained, highlights the viability of public-private partnerships in advancing large-scale energy infrastructure.
President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, has announced that the expansion of the Dangote Refinery to a production capacity of 1.4 million barrels per day will generate employment for no fewer than 95,000 skilled workers at peak construction.
Dangote disclosed this at the weekend in Lagos during his induction as an Honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering (NAE), describing the project as a major milestone in Nigeria’s industrial transformation.
According to him, the expansion underscores the Group’s continued commitment to engineering excellence, job creation, and sustainable economic growth.
“This award is particularly meaningful because it recognizes what we are doing in the industry, especially our commitment to employing engineers and skilled professionals. At the peak of construction for this expansion, we expect to have about 95,000 skilled workers on site, and we will continue to grow,” Dangote said.
Upon completion, the expanded Dangote Refinery will surpass the Jamnagar Refinery in India to become the largest refinery in the world, significantly strengthening Nigeria’s refining capacity.
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Dangote noted that the project would rely heavily on Nigerian expertise, creating substantial opportunities for engineers, technicians, artisans, and other skilled professionals. He added that the expansion reflects the Group’s long-term vision for industrialization in Nigeria and across Africa.
Beyond employment generation, the refinery expansion is expected to stimulate local manufacturing, enhance technology transfer, and deepen Nigeria’s oil and gas value chain. It will also improve fuel security, reduce dependence on imported petroleum products, and deliver significant foreign exchange savings for the Nigerian economy.
“The scale of this expansion reflects our confidence in Nigerian capacity and our belief that Africa has the ability to build world-class infrastructure that meets global standards,” Dangote stated.
In his remarks, President of the Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Engr. Prof. Rahamon Bello, described the honour as well deserved, noting that Dangote’s impact transcends physical infrastructure.
“What makes this recognition fitting is not only what has been built, but what has been inspired. Alhaji Aliko Dangote’s journey continues to motivate a new generation of engineers, entrepreneurs, and innovators to think boldly, act decisively, and believe in the immense possibilities within our continent,” Bello said.
Photo Caption
From Left: GED Oil & Gas, Dangote Industries Limited, Fatima Aliko Dangote; GED Operations, Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Mariya Aliko Dangote; President/CE, Dangote Industries Limited, Aliko Dangote; President, The Nigerian Academy of Engineering, Engr. Prof. Rahamon Bello, at The Nigerian Academy of Engineering Induction of Aliko Dangote as Honorary Fellow in Lagos on Friday, April 24, 2026.
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