The Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria has launched a smartphone application, which has been dubbed “Wetin App” for flood forecasting especially along the Niger and Benue rivers, this is according to a report via agricnation.com.
The application will be available on the Google App Store, and is a collaborative project of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).
Speaking at the launch event in Abuja, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Agriculture – Dr. Shehu Ahmed, represented by the Director of Agricultural Businesses, Processing and Marketing – Alh. Azeez M. Olumuyiwa said Nigeria sought the help of the international agency to develop the application following the devastating flood of 2012 which led to the destruction of farms, houses and human lives.
According to the report, the Permanent Secretary added that the country had decided to turn that bitter experience into a blessing by looking at the various ways farmers and government could take advantage of the technology.
The Regional Director for Africa at the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) – Professor Timothy Olalekan Williams – said the application was developed using data from the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, and the satellite.
Staff Writer
