Highlights from the project OPERA - Ocean Prediction Enhancement in Regions of Africa

Project Extension

In November 2025, the European-funded project OPERA was officially extended from 4 to 5 years (2025 – 2029)​ with a revised contribution agreement with the European Commission​topped up to €10M​. The project represents the Ocean component of the Africa Regional Centres of Excellence programme, and is implemented by Mercator Ocean International through its coordinating role of the OceanPrediction DCC.

This extension will work towards supporting additional activities including: 

  • the development of an African Digital Twin Ocean infrastructure, leveraging the technical framework of the European Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO) but to be co-developed with and fully managed by the African partners in the project
  • entrepreneurial engagement by supporting business ventures integrating OPERA results
  • user engagement and service maturity support through mentorship, operational and technology readiness level evaluations and user feedback 

First Advisory Board Meeting

On 28 November 2025, the project held its first advisory board meeting with 10 participants representing the OceanPrediction DCC African Regional Team, GOOS Africa, IOC Africa, the African node coordinator for the ECOP programme, the African Union Commission, EUMETSAT, the European Commission Directorate for International Partnerships and Mercator Ocean International. This group will serve to provide strategic project guidance, ensure synergies among existing efforts and alignment with African regional priorities, and support user and stakeholder engagement with a strong focus on strengthening science to policy pathways.

Capacity Development Activities Kick-Off

To kick off 2026, we are excited to announce the appointment of ICMPA – the UNESCO Chair of Mathematical Physics and Applications hosted by the University of Abomey Calavi in Benin and in collaboration with the Gulf of Guinea Ocean Science Summer School. Selected via an open and competitive process, this group will support the OceanPrediction DCC capacity development activities over a period of 38 months, including: 

  • The development and dissemination of ocean literary activities focused on ocean forecasting and its applications, integrating developments in OPERA
  • 4 Massive Online Open Courses via the Ocean Teacher Global Academy platform, focusing on each component of the OceanPrediction DCC virtuous loop for ocean forecasting and its application (see image below)

  • Development of software for a “Simple Educational Access for Forecast and Warning Developers” (SEA-FORWARD)

  • Interactive advanced activities (workshops, didactic documents, hackathons, webinars)

     

OceanPrediction DCC Ocean Forecasting virtuous loop

These activities will target a broad range of audiences, including the general public and policymakers, students, ocean science professionals, and advanced ocean forecasting practitioners. By the end of the programme, participants are expected to have a stronger awareness of the relevance of ocean forecasting, improved skills through a combination of theoretical learning and practical application, enhanced operational capabilities within African institutions and beyond, and tangible impacts supporting coastal management, resilience, and ocean services.

Meet the ICMPA team: 

Calls for Grants for proposals and Tenders

The calls for grants to set up the 3 consortia of African partners will be published by the end of January. There will be an information session held online once the calls are published. 

There will also be a call for tenders to set up technology transfer teams that will work with the consortia to support their developments. 

The calls will be announced on the Mercator Ocean and OceanPrediction DCC websites and communication channels.