New MOU by MarCNoWA and GGPEN set to improve sustainability

Professor Boateng Onwona-Agyeman, who leads the GMES and Africa Marine and Coastal Areas Management for North and West Africa (MarCNoWA) Project from the University of Ghana, has partnered with Dr Zolana Joao, the head of the Angola National Space Programme Management Office (GGPEN), through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). This partnership is dedicated to improving the use of Earth Observation (EO) data for managing coastal and marine resources and to build capacities in these areas as part of Phase 2 of the GMES and Africa Project. 

The signing of this MoU took place at the 2024 NewSpace Africa Conference, with notable attendees including H.E. Mário Augusto da Silva Oliveira, Angola’s Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies, and Social Communication (MINTTICS), and Mahaman Bachir Saley, a Senior Scientific Officer at the African Union Commission. 

This agreement aims to create a collaborative environment that enables the sharing of knowledge and resources between the two parties. It seeks to enhance the management of coastal and marine resources through the development and deployment of innovative applications. These applications will aid in monitoring oceanographic variables, protect fishing areas from unlawful activities, and identify vulnerabilities within coastal zones. 

Additionally, the MoU emphasizes the importance of capacity building, sharing expertise, and strengthening the abilities of both individuals and institutions in Angola and the surrounding region. This will be achieved through focused efforts on the utilization of EO data and the development of relevant applications.