The Regional Centre For Mapping Of Resources For Development (RCMRD) and the SatNav Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to better serve the African continent by collaborating to ensure accurate positioning and location determination on the Earth’s surface, which is crucial for numerous sectors.

Mr Semou Diouf, the Director of SatNav Africa JPO, and Dr Emmanuel Nkurunziza, the Director-General of RCMRD, signed the agreement in Luanda, Angola, on the sidelines of the recently concluded 2024 NewSpace Africa Conference.

Through this MoU, we will collaborate to ensure that African countries can harness the full potential of existing positioning systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), BeiDou Satellite Navigation System, GLObalnaya NAvigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS) and Galileo, and work towards establishing a unified reference system for the continent, known as the African Geodetic Reference Frame (AFREF).

This initiative aligns with the findings of the Survey and Gap Analysis on Navigation and Positioning in Africa undertaken by the African Union Commission’s Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation Division (AUC ESTI). The analysis highlighted the need for a coordinated effort to develop a robust and reliable positioning infrastructure across the continent.

Accurate positioning and location data are vital for various applications, including transportation, agriculture, urban planning, disaster management, and environmental monitoring. By leveraging the capabilities of multiple positioning systems and establishing a unified reference system, African nations can enhance their geospatial data infrastructure, enabling more efficient and effective decision-making processes.

Furthermore, this collaboration will foster knowledge exchange and capacity building, empowering African professionals and institutions to develop and maintain positioning and navigation systems tailored to the continent’s unique needs and challenges.

Through this MoU, both institutions will commit to promoting regional cooperation, fostering technological advancement, and supporting sustainable development initiatives across Africa.