GAF to Assist GMES & Africa Support Programme
News

GAF to Assist GMES & Africa Support Programme

GAF AG has announced the award of the “GMES and Africa Support Programme Technical Assistance Team” service contract by the European Commission. The services consist of the provision of support and consulting to the African Union Commission (AUC), which is coordinating the GMES & Africa initiative.

GMES & Africa is a cooperation framework for the development and implementation of Earth observation based services that support sustainable development in Africa. One of the pillars of the cooperation is the European Copernicus programme (formerly GMES), which constitutes a major source of data, information and technological expertise. GMES & Africa will cover the entire African continent and will be guided by African-owned processes in order to serve African needs. The GMES & Africa support project will focus on improving the sustainable management of natural, water, marine and coastal resources through the use of Earth observation technology. This will allow for better and more informed decision making and will assist policy makers. GMES & Africa is to be implemented by a network of African institutions in cooperation with European partners. The African Union Commission has the role of coordinator and facilitator.

Regional consultation

Regional consultation meetings are now under way. The first conference has already taken place in Kigali, Rwanda with delegates from the East Africa region including the Indian Ocean Islands. Similar consultation and information meetings are planned for the regions of Western, Northern, Central and South Africa over the next weeks.

The GAF team assists the AUC by providing technical consulting, as well as training and capacity support. The team leader started his assignment to AUC in Addis Ababa and he will be joined by 2 more long term key experts. They will be supported by specialists and back office resources. The GAF team combines the experience and capacities of three partners. GAF AG, Germany is a European leader in end-to-end services in the field of Earth observation and geo-information, associated applications and technical assistance (TA) services. AHT Group AG, Germany is a leading service company in the domains of water and natural resources management, agriculture and nature conservation. BRL Ingénierie, France has leading experience in the management of coastal, maritime, water and land resources. All the partners have extensive experience of working in Africa.

Dr Stefan Saradeth, GAF director International Consulting, stated GAF looks forward to using its extensive expertise in Earth observation in order to provide benefits to decision makers in Africa. With GAF’s more than 135 person years of accumulated Copernicus/GMES experience and its extensive TA portfolio, GAF feels confident that its team can provide best-in-class consulting services to its partners in Africa, Saradeth added.

Geomatics Newsletter

Value staying current with geomatics?

Stay on the map with our expertly curated newsletters.

We provide educational insights, industry updates, and inspiring stories to help you learn, grow, and reach your full potential in your field. Don't miss out - subscribe today and ensure you're always informed, educated, and inspired.

Choose your newsletter(s)