Driving Action for Africa’s Coastal and Marine Sustainability at AfriGEO 2025

This year at the AfriGEO Symposium, a Marine and Coastline Management session was held, co-organized by Audrey Hasson from GEO Blue Planet. AfriGEO is an initiative of the African continent developed within the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) framework, providing a coordination framework for Africa’s participation in GEO and contributing to the development of GEOSS. AfriGEO consists of Africa-based GEO member states (32) and over 15 participating regional institutions, known as the African Caucus. It strengthens the link between GEO activities and existing capabilities in Africa, minimizing duplication and creating synergies across the continent. The theme this year was From Data to Impact: Strengthening Africa’s Geospatial Future and it took place on the 7th – 9th October 2025 in Dakar, Senegal at the Royal King Fahd Hotel (Pointe des Almadies)

This session brought together regional experts, decision-makers, and stakeholders to discuss the critical role of Earth Observation and Prediction data in addressing Africa’s pressing coastal and marine challenges. 

     

 

The session was opened by Joana Akrofi (UNEP - Coordinator GEMS Ocean Programme) and Prof. Soulèye Wade (UCAD, Senegal) where they set the stage on the importance of ocean observation and forecasting especially in the context of Senegal, a nation highly driven by the safety and success of the fishing industry and community where ocean forecasting and monitoring plays an integral part on keeping the citizens that power this mainly artisanal fishing industry safe. Joana shared valuable insights on fostering transdisciplinary partnerships to scale up ocean and coastal monitoring. In her presentation she shared that by ensuring open access to interoperable data and using tools like MyOcean Viewer (powered by the Copernicus Marine Service), decision-makers can strengthen marine spatial planning and improve the flow of data across regions.

   

 

A key highlight from the session came from John Ngatia of IOC Africa  where he underscored a powerful message: "When Ocean data is shared under safe  and FAIR principles, it becomes a force for trust and just decision-making for people and the planet." This quote set the stage for discussions around ocean forecasting and prediction. As Ngatia explained, enhancing ocean observation platforms and predictive capabilities is essential for sustainable development, particularly in weather forecasting and mitigating climate change impacts.

Yandeh Sallah-Muhammed from Mercator Ocean International, shared ongoing developments in the OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Centre (DCC), and programme, with focus on a recent project to strengthen ocean capabilities and cooperation  in sub-Saharan Africa. Yandeh also encouraged attendees in the session to join the OceanPrediction DCC Atlas, aiming to map and connect a global community around ocean forecasting. The ATLAS features today more than 300 ocean forecasting systems, 670 experts and  34 users cases  where users can identify real-world applications and success stories where ocean forecasting has made a tangible impact.

The session closed with a panel discussion moderated by Kwame Adu Agyekum (University of Ghana) where Yandeh Sallah-Muhammed (Mercator Ocean),  John Ngatia (IOC- Africa) and Lorien Innes (ESRI) shared their perspectives and experiences on Earth Intelligence for Marine and Coastal Management, focusing on strategies for promoting citizen/youth participation in providing ancillary data to enhance Earth Observation services, how regional bodies can drive governments to adopt EO services and tools in resource management and how to combine efforts from the public and private sector to succeed in delivering services for the benefit of society.

 

Thank you to the team at AfriGEO and the various partners that made this event possible and for the emphasis this year on the importance of the integration of the conversation of ocean observations in the Earth Observation spaces.

 

 

Session Presentations:

  • Regional cooperation towards sustainable marine and coastal management by Mohamed Atani, UNEP - Sub Regional Office for West Africa.

  • The Ocean and the African Union by Bachir Saley, African Union Commission.

  • The Marine and Coastal Service by Kwame Adu Agyekum, GMES and Africa.

  • Contributions of Earth Observation Data and the Role of West African Regional Coastal Observatory (WARCO) by Mamadou Lamine Ndiaye, CSE, Senegal.

  • GEMS Oceans Programme by Joana Akrofi, UNEP GEMS Oceans.

  • The Sargassum Information Hub by GEO Blue Planet.

  • DEA Coastline Dashboard by Kenneth Mubea, Digital Earth Africa.

  • ArcGIS Living Atlas of the World by Lorien Innes, ESRI Inc.

  • OPERA - Ocean Prediction Enhancement in Regions of Africa by Yandeh Sallah-Muhammed, Mercator Ocean International.