TO strengthen inter agency collaboration for the proactive management of floods and other climate related hazards, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has hosted a high-level meeting with relevant government agencies and development partners.

The engagement, which took place on Wednesday at the NEMA headquarters in Abuja, was organised ahead of the planned national launch of the Early Warnings for All (EW4All) Initiative.

Director General of NEMA Zubaida Umar, said that “the meeting  is a significant milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to strengthen its disaster risk management architecture through effective inter-agency synergy.”

In a statement by the spokesman of the agency, Ezekiel Manzo, the DG  recalled that the United Nations Secretary General, António Guterres, had noted that early warning initiative as a “survival agenda for humanity,” stressing that Nigeria must equally regard it as a national security and development priority.

Umar pointed that “the collaboration aligns with Nigeria’s commitments under the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement, and the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, particularly in safeguarding lives and building resilient communities.”

While underscoring the critical role of effective communication in ensuring that early warning information reaches vulnerable populations in a timely manner, the Executive Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Dr Aminu Maida pledged the commission’s full support to the EW4All Initiative.

On his part, Director General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr Matthew Adepoju highlighted the importance of space science in disaster management, assuring the stakeholders of the agency’s readiness to contribute its technical expertise and data to strengthen the national system.

Similarly, the Director General of the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency (NIHSA),  Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed, noted that effective early warnings enable communities to mitigate the impact of disasters. He affirmed the agency’s commitment to providing necessary hydrological data and forecasts.

Also speaking, Director General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) Prof Charles Anosike, reaffirmed the agency’s dedication to delivering timely and actionable weather and climate information to support anticipatory action.

The representative of the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Mr. Muliro Mashauri, said the commitment demonstrated towards the EW4All Initiative by the partners is highly commendable.

He described the synergy as a remarkable example of inter-agency cooperation for disaster risk reduction within the West African region.