Eastern Africa Regional Workshop on GMES & Africa Program Kicks Off in Antananarivo
Antananarivo, July 18th 2024: The Carlton Anosy Hotel in Antananarivo will host a crucial Eastern Africa regional workshop under the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) and Africa program on July 18-19, 2024. The event follows a pre-workshop training in Earth observation held from July 15-17. The workshop aims to bring together stakeholders from the two East African Region consortia, project country partners, policymakers, and decision-makers to explore the potential of GMES & Africa and foster collaboration in using Earth observation (EO) for sustainable development.
The GMES & Africa program, co-financed by the European Commission and the African Union Commission, enhances EO capacities for sustainable environmental management across Africa. The program involves eight consortia focusing on natural resources, water, and marine and coastal resources management. The objectives include promoting sustainable long-term management of natural resources, providing tools and information for implementing effective environmental policies and offering capacity building and access to EO data and services.
Participants from various organizations, including the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, the University of Madagascar, WWF, the Ministry of Territory, the Wildlife Conservation Society, and CNRE, gained skills in using satellite data to address environmental challenges. The workshop will enhance environmental monitoring, improve land management, and increase capacity to combat land degradation. Additionally, it creates a platform for knowledge exchange and networking among EO users, providers, and policymakers in East Africa.
The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) leads actions on land degradation, wetlands monitoring, and geographical data. In contrast, the IGAD Climate Prediction and Applications Centre (ICPAC) leads actions on forest monitoring, agriculture service, and natural habitat.
The overall objective of the GMES & Africa project in the region is to promote a more sustainable long-term management of natural resources by providing decision and policymakers with the information and tools needed to implement sustainable environmental policies at regional and national levels. The GMES & Africa initiative offers a framework for capacity building and access to Earth Observation data and services.