Nigeria has lost over $4.6bn to flooding — NiMet Boss

Mansur Matazu, Director-General of the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, has stated that flooding has cost the country $4.6 billion, significantly impacting the country’s GDP.

Matazu disclosed this at a workshop on increasing access to climate information services for national development and food security in Nigeria, hosted by NIMET, in partnership with the Human and Environmental Development Agenda, HEDA.

He cited a World Bank Survey commissioned by the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and stated that the research was based on a fast assessment of the monetary implications of 2022 flood damages in terms of livelihoods, farmlands, and infrastructure.

He noted that the country was recovering from the disaster and was working on long-term flood solutions to boost the agricultural sector and support Nigeria’s current food security strategy.

He said, “The damage the flood has caused in the form of livelihood, farmland, and infrastructure- it has cost the country over $4.6 billion, and that is a significant weight on our GDP.“