Capacity Building for Ocean Scientists in the Gulf of Guinea (GGOSSS 2025)

Capacity Building for Ocean Scientists in the Gulf of Guinea (GGOSSS 2025)

This summer over five days, 36 young scientists from six francophone Gulf of Guinea countries (Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Congo, and Senegal) came together for immersive training in Oceanographic observation, satellite data analysis, numerical modelling, and fieldwork through the first-ever Gulf of Guinea Ocean Sciences Summer School (GGOSSS 2025), hosted at the University of Dschang, Cameroon. This summer school marks a significant step forward for the future of ocean forecasting and prediction in Africa—aligning perfectly with the goals of the OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Centre’s OPERA project. This initiative, led by Dr. Babette C. Tchonang, not only built practical skills in monitoring key ocean parameters like sea level, salinity, and circulation, but also fostered a growing network of regional experts ready to contribute to data-driven forecasting systems.

With strong institutional backing and expert-led sessions on tools like CROCO models, Python-based Ocean data analysis, ADCPs, CTDs, and satellite products from Copernicus Marine Service, the summer school directly supports OPERA’s mission to enhance operational oceanography in sub-Saharan Africa. The hands-on training and field campaigns, including real-time data collection from Lake Dschang, reflect one of the main objectives of OPERA that builds emphasis on capacity-building and real-world applications in the region.

As the OPERA project aims to strengthen ocean prediction capabilities across Africa, programs like GGOSSS are vital. They work hard to equip a new generation of African Ocean scientists with the tools, knowledge, and collaborative spirit needed to protect marine environments, ensure a sustainable blue economy and build coastal resilience. The road of Ocean forecasting in the region is promising, with the next edition of GGOSSS planned to take place in Benin in 2026. Together, initiatives like GGOSSS and OPERA are laying the groundwork for a more sustainable, data-driven and cooperative future in African Ocean science. OPERA's capacity development activities are set to start in the first quarter of next year and will leverage the GGOSSS network of participants and experts for the future of African Ocean forecasting.