Member states of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) have begun deliberations on strategies and tools to enhance the accuracy of space weather monitoring and forecasting.
The discussions are taking place at a five-day UNOOSA–Nigeria workshop on the International Space Weather Initiative (ISWI), hosted by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) in Abuja.
Participating countries include France, Germany, Japan, Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Brazil, India, Indonesia, and the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The workshop is themed “Space Weather During a Moderate Solar Cycle 25.”
Space weather during moderate solar activity can cause geomagnetic storms that affect aviation communication, power grids, and GPS systems.
Ms. Sharafat Gadimova of UNOOSA, Austria, said the initiative aims to strengthen data collection, modelling, and forecasting methods to improve global preparedness.
“This community will design a platform to identify user requirements and foster collaboration among different groups working on space weather impacts,” she said, noting that the efforts would also support capacity building, training, and access to up-to-date research data.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, represented by NASRDA Director-General Dr. Matthew Adepoju, described space weather as a global concern requiring collective international action due to its impact on orbiting infrastructure.
Nnaji also called attention to the link between climate change and extreme weather patterns, urging global collaboration on initiatives like the Great Green Wall to tackle root causes of environmental disruptions.
Adepoju added that as Africa’s digital transformation accelerates, the continent’s dependence on satellite technology increases its vulnerability to space weather events.
“For developing nations such as Nigeria, understanding and predicting space weather is not just scientific—it’s essential for protecting our systems in banking, telecommunications, broadcasting, weather forecasting, and national security,” he said.
