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GMES and Africa showcases African EO priorities at the GEO Week in Cape Town, South Africa

GMES and Africa has been an attraction at the ongoing GEO Week conference in Cape Town, South Africa. The Pan African programme is mounting an exhibition of its products and services as part of GEO Week activities
Update 15/11/2023



The G&A Booth, a place to exchange further with (potential) users and similar initiatives

As with all events of this type, the exhibitions allow to go further in the exchanges. 

G&A exhibits included a 2D graphic presentation of the Program continental architecture and Africa, thematic priorities, consortia activities, partnerships and pan-African perspectives. Indeed, it clearly enabled GMES and Africa to present the facets of its intervention to the African continent, to make more or less contact with other initiatives and operators, to meet the program's backers at greater length, as part of ongoing discussions. 

During the 5 days of GEO Week, the stand was privileged to welcome over 50 experts, some of whom were listed in the visitors' book, and visits from representatives of China, Japan and the DRC.  Visitors were keen to find out more about the G&A program, or even to establish collaborative/working relationships with it.  A EU delegation led by Mr Miguel Angel Exposito-Verdejo, acting head of EUC DG INTPA.F.5, Science, Technology, Innovation & Digitalisation, and by Mrs Joanna Drake, the Deputy Director General for the EUC DG for Research and Innovation, also visited the stand to meet the Dr Ouattara, Coordinator of GMES and Africa and Space Science Expert at the Commission.  

Discussions with visitors also showed that the GMES program could become a platform for collaboration with various initiatives in line with the program. The GEANT program, for example, proposes to "connect" GMES sites (consortia) with local NRENs. 

Examples of positive feedback and encouragement

Elhadi Adam of the University of Witwatersrand, who paid a courtesy call the GMES and Africa exhibition team, said the programme is a great asset for Africa. "The continent needs more of this kind of collaboration", he stated.

"GMES & Africa represents a real success of a long-term programme in Africa. It is Copernicus in and for Africa", says Andreas of JRC, who visited the stall at the beginning of the exhibition.

Dr. Yvan Zolo is a Global Surgery Fellow at the University of Cape Town. He believes GMES and Africa is a unique opportunity to leverage resourcing of the continent's various development endeavours, including in the health sector.

Mr. Stefano Salavani, from the GEO-GNSL initiative, which aims to build capacity in the field of disaster risk reduction, wanted to understand what the program could offer. Booth moderators told him about RCMRD facilities in East Africa, including the recent GMES and Africa-funded training room, as well as those of AUC's AMHEWAS. 

Mr. Haris Kontoes, Director General of the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium (IGARSS), visited the stand to express his wish that GMES and Africa participate in the 2024 edition of their annual meeting in Athens, Greece, as well as in the sessions to be held during the event. This edition of IGARSS will seek to highlight EO applications.

Mr. Chris Atherton, GEANT, said to G&A officers that GEANT "is  looking to build strategic continental relationships to achieve the digital education strategy for the African Union, specifically to implement sustainable NRENs in Africa initiative, connecting GMES sites to local NRENs". 

The representative of EARSC, the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies, Ms Monica Miguel-Lago, visited the stand to express the association's wish to establish a partnership with the GMES program and Africa, with a view to bringing the African and European sectors closer together. A meeting was held later between the Program coordinator and Mr. Emmanuel Pajot, the Secretary General of EARSC, on the initiative of Ms Miguel-Lago.   




Dr Cheikh Mbow, also Director of the CSE in Dakar, expressed his satisfaction at seeing a local and national initiative such as GMES and Africa. He declared that "together we overcome".



Presentations by the G&A funded Projects

The G&A booth was  the venue for presentations about the GDZHIAO and MarCNoWA (West Africa) and MarCOSIO (South Africa) projects, which were attended by around 20 people. 




The GEOWeek Ministerial and GMES and Africa

GEO Week is a networking and discussion forum focusing on dialogue among various actors on the utilization of earth observation (EO) to address many of the world’s developmental challenges.

The event this year is dedicated to earth observation data and what it can do to help resolve many of the problems facing the world. It features debates on equitable and affordable access to EO data to inform decision-making on preventing and managing natural hazards, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

Typically, GEO Week is a week-long event. This year, after the protocol formalities, the first part of the week was devoted to numerous expert presentations and discussions via various platforms (flash talks, workshops and technical meetings, showcase events), followed by 2 days of presentations and discussions about GEO's progress. 

The week wraped up on Friday, 10 November, with the Ministerial Summit and keynote speeches by high-level officials, at which the Dr Ouattara, Coordinator of GMES and Africa and Space Science Expert at the Commission spoke on behalf of the Africa Union Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation (ESTI) on the utilisation of Earth Observation for sustainable development.  

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Location: Le Cap, Afrique du Sud

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