The challenge and what we wanted to achieve 

Smallholder farmers across Nigeria rely heavily on predictable weather patterns to guide planting, irrigation, and harvesting. Increasing climate variability (including heatwaves, storms, and flooding) makes these decisions more difficult, reducing yields and threatening livelihoods.  Agriculture contributes approximately 23% of Nigeria’s GDP and employs around 30% of the workforce, making climate shocks a national concern. In 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organisation estimated agricultural losses of approximately 855,629 tonnes due to flooding, equivalent to feeding about 8.5 million people for six months. 

What we did 

To support the delivery of timely, localised and actionable weather intelligence to farmers, in line with the UN’s “Early Warning for All” initiative and aligning with our strategy to strengthen climate resilience, digital inclusion, and sustainable rural economies, MTN Nigeria partnered with Tomorrow.io and the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet) to design and pilot a Digital Climate Advisory Services (DCAS) platform. This was formalised through a tripartite MoU signed in 2025, with the Pilot phase planned for March 2026.   

The DCAS system integrates NiMet’s meteorological expertise, Tomorrow.io’s hyperlocal AI-driven forecasts, cloud infrastructure, and MTN’s mobile network capabilities to deliver weekly SMS advisories tailored to local farming cycles. SMS was selected to ensure full accessibility across both feature phones and smartphones, maximising reach among smallholder farmers.   A pre-pilot engagement with key internal stakeholders has been completed, helping to clarify requirements related to automation, message design, regulatory engagement, and data privacy safeguards. In addition, a study visit to Kenya provided benchmarking insights from a comparable digital advisory system serving about 6.7 million farmers. 

Outcomes and impact 

“When live, the DCAS platform will deliver weekly, location-specific advisories aligned to planting seasons and crop calendars, helping farmers make informed decisions about sowing, irrigation, fertiliser application, and pest management”. Temilade Olabanji, Senior Manager: Sustainability and Shared Value, MTN Nigeria.