Key stakeholders in-charge of the management of wetlands in Guinea Conakry and Burkina Faso have joined forces to support the implementation of the GMES and Africa in the management of wetlands in West Africa.

The GMES and Africa lead consortia, Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE), organized two national workshops in Guinea Conakry and Burkina Faso on 4th and 10th September 2019. The two national workshops have formally established a network of the community of experts in both countries.

At the level of each country involved in the GMES and Africa Wetlands for West Africa Project, two institutions were chosen to develop products and services derived from earth observation data for the benefit of the users in the area of wetlands management. Capacity building activity is planned for those institutions to implement sustainable wetland management policies in West Africa.

The established national networks in Burkina Faso and Guinea Conakry comprises of government institutions, academia, research institutions and NGOs assigned to the management of wetlands in their respective countries. The national networks will serve as a platform for collaboration, experience sharing, learn from best practices, development of knowledge and expertise in their areas of interest-wetlands management in West Africa.

The Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE) consortia, were awarded the African Union GMES and Africa grant to implement the Sustainable Management of Wetlands for the Strengthening of Food Security and Resilience of Ecosystems in West Africa for three years.

GMES Africa Wetlands Service aims to develop and promote product portfolio and services on the exploitation of Earth Observation data (in the fields of water, vegetation and soils)to improve the knowledge about West African wetlands in a sustainable management perspective for food security, and building the resilience of communities and ecosystems in West Africa.

The GMES and Africa Programme is a joint African Union and European Union operational EO program, demonstrating how Earth Observation data from space can serve as a decision support tool for users in managing land, marine and environmental resources in Africa.