From 17 to 18 June 2025, the CSIR, which anchors the Marine and Coastal Operations for Southern Africa (MarCOSIO) project under the auspices of the GMES and Africa, co-hosted the Southern African Regional Stakeholder Workshop at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria, South Africa.

Under the theme, “From Data to Impact: Earth Observation (EO) and Space Technology Solutions as a Catalyst for Enhancing Africa’s Policy and Economic Transformation,” the workshop was co-hosted by the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL) and attended by regional partners and stakeholders from southern Africa. GMES and Africa, which is in its second implementation phase, is co-funded by the African Union Commission and the European Commission.   

Earth Observation provides opportunities that enhance operations by providing data and information. Therefore, EO technologies are important for leveraging efficiency in efforts aimed at promoting sustainable growth and development in the southern African region.

Executive Director of SASSCAL, Professor Irja Nelago Indongo, said, “We remain committed to working with the MarCOSIO consortia partners to expand our footprint and to engage new members to strengthen our capacity, as climate change continues to impede our national and regional efforts for sustainability.”

Mathew Chetty, the CSIR e-Government Impact Area Manager said, “We anticipate robust and solution-driven dialogue around; enhancing the economic value of our technologies and services, broadening accessibility so that all citizens, not just technical experts can benefit from our work, strengthening communication and outreach strategies, sustaining and expanding human capital development and building lasting, cross-sectoral partnerships.” Most importantly, this gathering is about demonstrating the value and impact generated through the GMES and Africa initiative.

Objectives of the workshop

• Highlight the successes of GMES and Africa in the southern African region
• Provide an opportunity for participants to engage in mutual exchanges, share best practices, knowledge gained and tangible experiences.
• Cross-fertilisation of information and knowledge regarding innovative EO technologies developed under the programme.
• Alignment with the region’s sustainable development strategies was showcased through the development of these applications.

The Spatial Information Systems Research Group Leader, Sives Govender, says, “The GMES and Africa Southern African Regional Workshop co-hosted by SASSCAL and the CSIR serves to highlight the achievements within the Wetlands management and the oceans and coastal management domain for the region. One of the key priorities of GMES and Africa is ‘cross-fertilisation’, which ensures the consortia work together on diverse thematic domains with the Southern African region. The workshop will address key regional priorities while highlighting the achievements and impacts made to date to support citizens’ livelihoods.”

The overall objective of the two-day workshop was to explore the accessibility of EO-developed and deployed technologies to end-users in communities such as Fishermen and to report on the notable impact on the availability of EO data to key user communities, supporting decision-making and sustainable development.

Earth Observation and Space Technology solutions remain a catalyst for enhancing Africa’s transformation and the impact presented by the MarCOSIO partners reaffirms the significance showcased through the demonstrated technology solutions deployed.

MarCOSIO remains committed to empowering both decision-makers and end-users with actionable tools and services tailored to their real-world needs.