Leader of the OSS-North Africa Consortium within the framework of the GMES&Africa program, the OSS took part in the continental workshop on natural resources and water which was held from June 13 to 15 in Lusaka, Zambia.
This workshop brought together the 8 consortia of the GMES&Africa program with the aim of discussing and putting forward solutions to technical issues in the implementation of phase II of the project and identifying the appropriate mechanisms for cross-fertilization between them.
Special focus was put on communication during this workshop. Indeed, a number of meetings and debates on communication strategies and tools likely to expand the scope of the project and its adoption by users, were held.
The communication officers reviewed the consortia action plans aimed at involving more national, regional and continental institutions and promoting the use of the GMES services in policies, as well as the Earth Observation inclusion in decision-making processes.
Ways to encourage the private sector to develop innovative services and to be aware of all the opportunities that GMES&Africa presents, were also discussed.