About GISAfrica Network >
Presentation
Aim of the project
Contribute to the effort of sustainable development throughout the continent in developing regional policies based upon valorisation and diffusion of Earth Sciences information regarding Africa, especially devoted to the promotion of mineral and water resources, through an improved role of the national geological surveys.
Objectives
Construct a strong geoscientific partnership in Africa in order to :
reconstitute regional geoscientific and mineral resources databases;
organise data preservation, management and accessibility;
develop a common African language in the field of Earth Sciences;
help to promote mineral and water resources in attracting potential contributors to economic development;
improve local skills, and share knowledge and experience between Africa and Europe as well as between
African countries;
propose decision tools to support regional policies related to Earth Sciences.
Main project activities
project co-ordination and proposition of complementary programs involving European geological surveys;
initialisation of the SIGAfrique network between 11 geological surveys from West and East Africa (see Partnership/Contacts), two regional centres (WAEMU and SEAMIC), and a server provisionally sited in BRGM;
development of a preservation methodology of documentary patrimony
production of synthetic geomaps and development of common research actions at the regional scale;
training of African operators and users (11 thematic workshops, both at Ouagadougou and Dar-es Salaam).
List of partners in 2007
Angola,
Burkina Faso,
Ethiopia,
Guinea Conakry,
Kenya,
Madagascar,
Mali,
Mauritania,
Niger,
Sénégal,
Tanzania,
West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU),
Southern and Eastern African Mineral Center (SEAMIC), BRGM, CIFEG
List of observer in 2007
Benin,
Ivory Cost,
Guinea Bissau,
Mozambique,
Ouganda,
Togo
Implementation
The SIGAfrique Network Project, planned for 3 years (March 2003 to December 2005), has bee funded by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), co-ordinated by the CIFEG (International Centre for Training and Exchanges in Geosciences) and technically operated by BRGM, which also transfered to the SIGAfrique Network the geoscientific studies and the cartographic syntheses funded in parallel by the French Ministry of Research and Technology. It should be noted that the MAE funding of the project included training of the African partners by BRGM, CIFEG and others, as well as updating of their computer equipment.
Expected results
An efficient regional partnership between the African countries participating to the project
Procedures and functioning charters between the geological surveys
Initiation of a common language regarding African Earth Sciences
Identified sustainability indicators for African mining
Increased interest of the economic actors through easier data access (Internet)
Updated synthetic regional maps and documents, designed to display/address new scientific problematics and to improve management of natural resources
Strengthened competencies of the national geological surveys
Implementation of an enlarged "North-South" partnership, associating African and European geological surveys, to work towards preserving and diffusing all the geological information collected in the whole continent by all the parties.