Nigeria joins earth observation group in Africa

Nigeria has joined South Africa to be the second country on the continent to be part of the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) GEO-Nigeria, for the promotion of access to data and information.

Nigeria is being represented at the global level by the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA).

The group is an intergovernmental partnership that improves the availability, access and use of Earth Observations (EO) data for a sustainable planet.

It is a unique global network of partners that consists of over 100 national governments and participating organisations committed to informed decisions and actions by coordinated and sustained EO data.

Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation STI Adeleke Mamora, said at the 2-day GEO-Nigeria and Radar Training Workshop that Nigeria would benefit a lot as a member country.

Mamora said: “It will provide all the stakeholders a national intergovernmental platform for collaborations, and partnerships and play a leading role in the activities of NASRDA with a focus on EO programmes and missions.”

Mamora was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of STI, Mrs Monilola Udoh

He said that GEO promotes open, coordinated, sustained data infrastructure and sharing for appropriate research, policy formulation, decisions making and implementation across sectors.

Focusing on the UN 2030 SDGs, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which Nigeria is a signatory, the minister said the Federal Government would sustain support to the success of GEO-Nigeria.

Mamora said: “The time has come for all stakeholders to come together for the effective utilisation of the Space Technology spin-off in Nigeria.

“This entails improved revenue generation with high-resolution satellite imagery, to the security of lives and properties with geotagged National Identity Card and more.

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Dr Halilu Shaba, Director-General of NASRDA, said that according to the GEO principle, EO data has proven to be vital for national security, and physical and socio-economic development.

He said: “Our planet is a complex and interconnected system, brimming with vital information waiting to be unlocked.

“It is through the lens of EO that we gain valuable insights, enabling us to make informed decisions, mitigate risks and unlock the tremendous potential for progress in our nations.”

Shaba added that in the face of national security concerns, EO data empowers the nation to detect emerging threats, monitor borders, track geopolitical dynamics and respond effectively to crises.

The Director-General said that Nigeria being a member of GEO was committed to the success of its strategic plan 2016 – 2025, open-data-policy and facilitating the implementation of the global priority areas.

Shaba said that the Secretariat for GEO-Nigeria would be domiciled at the UN African Regional Centre for Space and Technology Education in English,(UN-ARCSSTE-E), an activity centre of the agency.

Prof. Babatunde Rabiu, the Focal Person of GEO-Nigeria earlier said Nigeria was one of the 114 member countries of GEO.

Represented by Dr Matthew Adepoju, Alternate Principal for GEO-Nigeria, Rabiu further said the countries were working to develop and deliver EO information, infrastructure and services.

According to him, they are being used widely by government, industry, research and the global community in solving global problems.

“GEO focuses on improving the coordination of EO systems and data policies, enhancing the availability and accessibility of EO data.

“It fosters the use of EO for addressing key societal issues like climate change and disaster management, among others.

“The coming on of GEO-Nigeria resonates with GEO’s core principles that guide our nation’s vision for the future,” he said.

Rabiu called on the stakeholders for collaborative engagement toward achieving the common goal of GEO.

Adepoju, in his capacity, said that having a GEO-Nigeria would enable the country to make informed decisions in areas of government thereby reducing the cost of governance.

There were goodwill messages from Point of Contact AfriGEO, Ms Phoebe Oduor, the Programme Officer, STI of EU Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, South African GEO, Sabri Mekaoui,  and NUC, among others.

National Chairman of the Nigerian Institution of Space Engineers (NISEng), Umar Abdullahi, on Wednesday, says space technology plays a key role in developing the digital economy of the country.

The chairman told reporters in Abuja that those driving the country’s digital economy tend to overlook the indispensable role space technology could play in addressing national concerns.

“We mostly talk about the activities of the IT sector where you have the data centres, IT hubs, startups, then the telecom sector largely driven by mobile networks.

“All these are good and encouraging, but at the same time, we also have the space sector which has the ability to totally change the narrative for Nigeria and developing countries.

“When you come to IT infrastructure, we know the difficulty we have in terms of Right of Way for fibre optics, insecurity in certain parts and most times the telecom infrastructure destroyed or not available.

“With space technology and satellites, this can totally overcome the boundaries. You can sit anywhere and have wide global coverage and connectivity,’’ he said.

Abdullahi further said:” With satellites, we could have the fastest speed and images that help in national security and precision agriculture.”

The NISEng national chairman added that on the spin-off of space technology development, drones and unmanned aerial vehicles existed.

He said these could help design systems for security as well as for technology demonstration and capacity.

Abdullahi recalled that as of 2021, the global report on the space economy was over 120 billion dollars, with large developing countries and sub-Saharan Africa missing in the numbers.

“We can’t afford to lose out of that chunk. We need to be part of that.

”As we are driving the digital economy and taking Nigeria forward, the space economy, which is intertwined, shouldn’t be forgotten.

“Nigeria needs to work very hard to ensure that the sector contributes its own quota and that it is not a missing link in the drive for the digital economy,’’ Abdullahi urged.

He, however, emphasised the need to build an enabling space technology infrastructure that would ensure that the sector thrived.

“While the country’s space agency has the robust human capability to drive space and satellite technology development, the Assembly, Integration, Testing and Design Centre required for any space development is lacking.

“If you have this facility, what you are able to do is to harness skills and potential

”Even if you send engineers and scientists for training and they come back without trying out what they learned, in a few months, they will forget all that.

“This is a sector changing by the second, which means that what you even knew yesterday is not applicable today. So, it is more difficult when you are not practicing it,’’ the chairman said.

Abdullahi said the onus was on the government to provide the enabling infrastructure in partnership with the private sector.

”If we can open up, push for skills, capacity development and increase private sector participation, we can be sure of investors.

“Investors invest where they feel there is a chance and assurance. Once you can give confidence, in the value chain, everybody will put in their money.

“We don’t even have to worry because the space sector is enough to solve most of our problems in agriculture, security, innovation, education and more,’’ he added.

 

NAN/Dominica Nwabufo