By Albert Akota
The Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) Training School, Oshodi has become the first World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regional Training Centre (RTC) in Africa to be awarded the ISO 299990:2010 certification.
According to the visibly elated Director General/CEO NiMet, Prof. Sani Abubakar Mashi, “the International Standards Organization (ISO) requires that all training institutions in the world should subject themselves to periodic auditing in order to qualify for issuance of appropriate certification”.
Prof. Mashi revealed that it was in furtherance of this that NiMet invited ISO for the auditing exercise which was carried out on their behalf by CERTECH of Canada and culminated in the award of the ISO 299990:2010 effective 1st August 2019.
The DG explained that “the import of this achievement is that the NiMet Training School curriculum is in conformity with international standards and best practices and the certificate issued is recognized anywhere in the world”. He stressed that this, by extension will promote the relevance and visibility of NiMet and indeed Nigeria in the international community.
When pledging NiMet’s continuous commitment to achieving excellence and sustaining high standards in the training of meteorologists and meteorological technicians, Prof. Mashi used the opportunity to thank the Federal Government of Nigeria for providing the resources, guidance and support that enabled NiMet to successfully attain the certification.
The Centre in recent times had undergone upgrades in facilities and runs regular and non-regular programmes for manpower development and improvement.
Regular programmes include Job-Entry Level Meteorological Technicians-in-Training Course: Medium/Senior Level Meteorological Technicians-in-training Course: Instrumentation course and Aeronautical Meteorology, while the non-regular programmes are Refresher courses for Aeronautical Meteorological Forecasters and Observers.
The World Meteorological Organization Regional Training Centre trains Nigerians and nationals from other African countries like Liberia, Senegal, Ghana and Uganda, amongst others.
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