By Amos Harris
The Liberia Meteorological Service (LMS), in collaboration with the Nigeria Meteorological Agency (NiMet), held a crucial one-day stakeholders’ engagement on Friday, December 12, 2025, focused on strengthening Liberia’s early warning systems and disaster preparedness.
The engagement, hosted at a local hotel in Monrovia, centered on the global Early Warning for All (EW4All) initiative and showcased the weather and climate products and services provided by the Liberia Meteorological Service to improve timely access to critical information. Participants included representatives from key government ministries and agencies, civil society organizations, development partners, and technical experts in climate science and disaster risk management.
The program received technical support from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and crucial funding from the Government of Sweden through the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida).
Oluwaseun Wilfred Odowu, Team Lead from the Nigeria Meteorological Agency, addressed the event, stating that the engagement was designed to promote experience-sharing and best practices between Liberia and Nigeria in reinforcing national meteorological and early warning systems. Odowu noted that NiMet has successfully supported similar initiatives in several African countries, including Sierra Leone, as part of wider regional efforts to improve climate resilience and disaster risk reduction.
“The objective is to exchange knowledge, strengthen collaboration, and support Liberia’s efforts to build a more effective and inclusive early warning system,” Odowu remarked. He underscored the critical importance of public weather services, which provide essential forecasts, severe weather warnings, and climate outlooks to the public and key sectors such as aviation, marine services, and emergency management, disseminating information through platforms including radio, television, mobile applications, and official websites.
Albert M. Shernah, Director of the Liberia Meteorological Service, expressed gratitude to the NiMet team for their coordination and technical support. He noted that the engagement offered a valuable opportunity for both countries to assess their respective progress and challenges in the delivery of early warning services.
Presenting on behalf of the Liberia Meteorological Service, Steven Jones highlighted Liberia’s current early warning capabilities and mentioned that additional support is anticipated in December to expand national coverage. He issued a warning that many homes across the country remain highly vulnerable due to weak roofing structures that cannot withstand strong winds and severe weather conditions.
Meanwhile, James K. Momo, Assistant Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Transport, reaffirmed the Government of Liberia’s unwavering commitment to strengthening disaster preparedness and climate risk management. Minister Momo stressed that effective early warning systems are vital to saving lives, protecting livelihoods, and reducing the impact of climate-related hazards, particularly for vulnerable communities. He emphasized the urgent need for robust coordination among government institutions, meteorological agencies, civil society organizations, and development partners to ensure the comprehensive success of the EW4All initiative.
This one-day stakeholders engagement forms part of Liberia’s broader efforts to enhance national capacity in climate services, disaster risk reduction, and early warning dissemination, in line with regional and global commitments to fostering climate resilience.
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