GMES and Africa is a concrete step towards realizing Agenda 2063: AUC Director of Human Resources, Science and Technology

Director of Human Resources, Science and Technology at the African Union commission, Dr. Mahama Ouedraogo, has said that the GMES and Africa programme is one of the concrete steps initiated to realize Africa's Agenda 2063 through the African Outer Space Programme. Dr. Mahama, who is the Chair of the GMES and Africa Policy Coordination and Advisory Committee (PCAC), made the statement on Wednesday, 27 February, during the official opening of the PCAC in Nairobi, Kenya. According to Dr. Mahama, information and data from Space are important decision support tools for Africa's Sustainable Development.

GMES and Africa is a joint programme of the African Union Commission and the European Commission. A representative of the European Union Delegation to the African Union, Pietro NARDI, told officials at the opening ceremony that the programme contributes to achieving the goals that Africa and Europe have set themselves in broader frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda for Development; the Sendai 2015-2030 Action Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Climate Agreement. He also pledged the European Union’s full commitment to making GMES and Africa and related initiatives a success. 

Dr. Tidiane Ouattara is the GMES and Africa Coordinator, as well as the expert for Space Science at the African Union Commission. He briefed members of the PCAC, which is GMES and Africa’s governing body, on the current status and achievements of the programme, as well as the 2019 work plan on the five result areas of the programme both at the continental and regional levels. These include Data Access and Infrastructure; Service Development; Capacity Building; Project management; and Communications and Outreach. 

The three-day meeting discussed progress made so far in the five result areas of GMES and Africa. The PCAC comprises representatives of the African Union Commission, the European Commission, African Regional Economic Communities, European partners including EUMETSAT, the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) and the European Space Agency (ESA), as well as UN Agencies.

In the press:
https://africanews.space/gmes-africa-is-a-concrete-step-towards-realizing-agenda-2063-auc-director-of-human-resources-science-technology/