31 Oct Cairo to Host Second GMES & Africa Phase 2 Continental Forum

The GMES & Africa Programme will convene stakeholders from across the continent and beyond for its second and final Phase 2 Continental Forum from December 1-3, 2025, in Cairo, Egypt. Under the theme “GMES and Africa: A Journey Toward Shaping Africa EO Road Map as a Key Pillar of a Sustainable African Space Economy,” the forum represents a pivotal moment for defining the future of Earth observation services across Africa.

Since its inception, the GMES & Africa initiative has worked to strengthen African institutions’ capacity to access and utilise Earth observation-based services, with particular focus on water and natural resources management, as well as marine and coastal areas. The programme operates in alignment with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the African Space Policy and Strategy, supporting the development of environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient economies across the continent.

Event Objectives:

1. Discuss achievements, impacts, best practices, lessons learnt from the implementation of GMES in Africa and the way forward.
2. Provide an avenue for different partners, especially from academia, NGOs, the public sector, the private sector, international partners, and end-users to contribute to the EO Africa road map in terms of policy partnership, human capital, infrastructure, and service delivery.
3. Build on EO successes, define potential intra-African and international partnerships.

Agenda

1. High-level segment featuring keynote speeches, press conferences from policymakers from Africa and Europe, and face-to-face engagement with journalists.
2. Testimonials from the consortia and end-users, and discussions on the following main pillars of GMES & Africa: Policy and Institutional Framework; Infrastructure and Data, Services; Human Capital Development; Synergy and Knowledge Management; and Outreach and Uptake.
3. Technical sessions on the utility of EO services for socio-economic development.
4. All-day exhibition booths showcasing EO services and products by GMES & Africa consortia and partners.

Expected Outcomes

The forum aims to produce three concrete outcomes that will shape the African EO ecosystem. First, participants will document key results, impacts, best practices, and lessons learned from eight years of programme implementation, along with actionable recommendations for moving forward. Second, the forum will clearly identify and define Africa’s EO roadmap across policy partnerships, human capital development, infrastructure requirements, and service delivery mechanisms. Finally, it will discuss and document sustainable strategies for resource mobilisation, skills transfer, and human capital development through both intra-African and international partnerships for the long-term viability of the continent’s EO capabilities.

Participants

GMES & Africa Forum is a platform for engagement among diverse participants, with a view to enhancing and integrating EO services for socio-economic development. Additionally, the platform brings together a congregation of policymakers, scientists, academics and user communities to contribute in enriching EO services. AUC will sponsor some delegates, while consortia will sponsor participation of partners and associates, including the students who have benefited from the scholarships. Furthermore, AU Member States, Regional Economic Communities, the African Union Commission, the European Commission, regional and international institutions, non-governmental organisations and the United Nations system are among the participants.