FG launches app to combat River Niger, Benue overflow

11:54 - 12 August 2016

Minister for Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh

Flooding of the River Niger and Benue have been a constant problem for farmers and residents of the surrounding areas in recent times.

Media reports confirm that an app that will forecast floods along the Rivers Niger and Benue has been launched by the Federal Government of Nigeria and it is called the "

The Android app is currently available on the Google Play Store and is a collaborative project between the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI).

Speaking at the launch of the app, Shehu Ahmed, permanent secretary at the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, said Nigeria partnered with the IWMI to develop the application following the devastating flood of 2012 which led to extensive destruction of farms and houses as well as the loss of human lives.

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According to Innovation Village, Nigeria is looking to turn around that bad experience by looking into various ways in which farmers and government could prevent a repeat of that disaster by taking advantage of technology.

On his part, Professor Timothy Olalekan Williams, Regional Director for Africa at the IWMI, said the app was developed using the data from the Nigerian Hydrological Service Agency, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency and satellite data.