Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa (GMES & Africa)
The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa project is a collaboration between Nature Today and University of Ghana among others. The project is funded by the European Commission and Africa Union Commission. GMES and Africa Support Programme aims to improve African policy-makers’, planners’, scientists’, business and private sector and citizens’ capacities to design, implement, and monitor national, regional and continental policies and to promote sustainable management of natural resources through the use of Earth Observation data and derived information. The objectives of the Action are built on the overall GMES and Africa objectives for a long-term EU-Africa cooperation on space science and technology, to enable the two continents to jointly solve and address global challenges and promote sustainable development under the Copernicus programme. These objectives include:
Promoting the development in Africa of local capacities, institutional, human and technical resources for access to and exploitation of EO-based services on operational basis for sustainable development;
- Supporting the implementation of the African Space Policy and Strategy, in particular on Earth Observation;
- Providing decision-makers with information and tools needed for the implementation of sustainable environmental policies at the continental, regional and national levels through their Regional Economic Communities and Implementation Centers (RICs); and
- Maintaining, improving and sustaining access to EO data.
Five outputs/results areas and activities to accomplish are proposed for the entire chain for a successful implementation of the programme to ensure timely availability of data, allows for efficient processing and analysis, packages the information in formats palatable for the users, and puts in place seamless communication mechanisms to ensure that information is channeled to policy makers and end users. These outputs further form the baseline for Evaluating and Monitoring the programme:
- Ensuring that access to EO data is maintained, improved and sustained;
- Strengthening data access and sharing practices and policies in promoting intra-African collaborative actions;
- Ascertaining that the Natural and Water Resources Service adequately informs policy makers and end users;
- Ensuring that regional and national capacities for African public institutions and private sector are enhanced to generate and apply EO-based information for Natural and Water Resources as well as Marine & Coastal applications; and
- Ensuring that adequate awareness and outreach activities are undertaken to better engage policy makers, administrators, entrepreneurs, scientists and civil society at all levels in using EO and geospatial data and information.
When we think of other peoples lives as linked to our own, our empathy grows. They’ve demonstrated an amazing ability to help build a brighter and better future for our country. – OLIVER SANDERO
Many of the technological developments required to address the multitude of socio-economic challenges holding this continent back cannot be outsourced. Africa has significant potential for growth compared to the developed world, and this potential should be used to create a prosperous future for all. The commitments and investments we make now will set future generations free if we show real political, economic and social ambition.