EO AFRICA R&D Facility Unveils 10 New African-Europe Research Projects
The European Space Agency’s (ESA) EO AFRICA Research and Development Facility has unveiled ten research projects to be carried out by African-European tandems, selected from 143 applicants. This announcement follows the groundbreaking outcomes of the 4th proposal round, launched in April 2025. Commencing in September 2025 and running for 15 months, these research teams aim to tackle atmospheric pollution, droughts, water level monitoring, crops, biomass and carbon stocks by leveraging Earth Observation data sources.
Advancing Empowerment of African-European Partnerships in EO Research
In a bid to advance their established partnership, ESA and the African Union Commission (AUC) co-launched this call, encouraging innovative EO solutions that exploit cloud-enabled data and computational tools to address food and water security across Africa.
In addition, each selected project will be awarded EUR 30,000 over 15 months and will benefit from complimentary access to cloud-based Virtual Research Environments via the Facility’s Innovation Lab. Projects will also receive dedicated technical support, opportunities to participate in EO AFRICA Space Academy events, and integration into the EO AFRICA Network, enabling international scientific collaboration.
Awarded projects: Leading the Way in African EO Innovation
The awarded research initiatives address multiple thematic areas.
1. The SWAHILI project
Researchers: Siabi, Ebenezer Kwadwo (Ghana) and Borgomeo, Edoardo (United Kingdom)
This project will create an open-source tool for monitoring lakes across Africa, including Lake Bosomtwe and Lake Victoria. Using multi-modal satellite data and machine learning, the project will map surface water extent, quality, and levels year-round to support water and food security.
2. Enhancing Land Degradation Neutrality Reporting in Kenya
Researchers: Agboka, Komi Mensah (Kenya) and Dubovyk, Olena (Germany)
This venture will implement an EO-based system to monitor invasive woody weeds, particularly Prosopis juliflora, in southern Kenya. By combining time-series spectral and phenological analyses with ground-truth data, LDN reporting will be enhanced. An interactive GIS portal will visualise invasion dynamics, supporting community engagement, policymaker awareness, and improved land restoration planning.
3. Smart Irrigation and Yield Forecasting for Maize in Namibia
Researchers: Ajayi, Oluibukun(Namibia) and Kuta, Abdullahi (United Kingdom)
This study will develop an EO-based decision-support system to optimise irrigation and forecast maize yields in Namibia’s Maize Triangle. By integrating optical, RADAR-SAR, and thermal satellite data with local weather information, the study will produce high-resolution maps of evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and vegetation health, delivering near-real-time water stress alerts and recommendations to farmers and agencies, thereby supporting water efficiency, crop productivity, and food security.
4. The RiverWISE project
Researchers: Fashae, Olutoyin A. (Nigeria) and Akinyemi, Felicia O. (Sweden)
Combining multi-sensor EO data, hydrological models (SWAT, HEC-HMS), and AquaCrop-OSPy, the project will assess drainage, land cover, soil-water interactions, and maize irrigation demand under drought scenarios in the Ogun-Osun River Basin of Southwestern Nigeria.
5. Flood Resilience Modelling in Ethiopian Lake Watersheds Using ML
Researchers: Abebe, Sintayehu (Ethiopia) and Gariano, Stefano (Italy)
This research will develop a flood susceptibility mapping framework for Ethiopia’s Lake watersheds using EO data and machine learning. By analysing precipitation, topography, and land-use patterns, it will predict flood-prone areas and provide actionable insights for disaster risk reduction and decision-makers.
6. Impact of Water and Salinity Stress on Crop Yield in Morocco
Researchers: Ouakil, Abdelhadi (Morocco) and Paciolla, Nicola (Italy)
The initiative uses satellite data and agro-hydrological models to monitor and forecast crop yields in water-scarce and salinity-affected areas of Morocco, supporting precision agriculture and climate adaptation.
7. The SATWAT Project
Researchers: Rebelo, Alanna (South Africa) and Van Cleemput, Elisa (Netherlands)
Using Sentinel-2 imagery and causal inference, SATWAT quantifies the impact of invasive trees on evapotranspiration across southern Africa. The project will produce a user-friendly tool to simulate the effects, helping managers prioritise clearing efforts and strengthen regional water security.
8. Assessing Hydrological Extremes and Irrigation Demand in Malawi
Researchers: Chunga, Brighton (Malawi) and Karthikeyan, Brindha (The Netherlands)
This project combines EO data and AI to forecast floods, droughts, and irrigation needs in Malawi, providing real-time risk maps via a cloud dashboard to support water and food security.
9. Small Ungauged Reservoirs: A Key to Water Scarcity Mitigation and Food Security
Researchers: Banda, Kawawa (Zambia) and Vekerdy, Zoltán (Hungary)
Integrating remote sensing, GIS, field surveys, and machine learning, this project maps small ungauged reservoirs in the Zambezi River Basin, estimates their storage capacities, and provides an interactive dashboard to support sustainable water management and food security.
10. Tracking and Modelling Microbial Water Quality in West Africa
Researchers: NIKIEMA, D. Edwige (Burkina Faso) and Robert, Elodie(France)
Using Earth Observation (EO) data, MOQA-EO aims to monitor water contamination and assess the risk of diarrheal diseases in tropical regions. The project will validate SPM inversion algorithms and develop EO-based methods to track E. coli and suspended particulate matter (SPM) in surface water, supporting health hazard monitoring under changing climate conditions.
Unlocking Research Innovation
These initiatives will utilise Earth Observation (EO) technologies in address pressing environmental and socio-economic issues across Africa. The EO AFRICA R&D Facility supports collaborative research that delivers innovative, practical solutions aligned with international and continental priorities, including the UN Sustainable Development Goals and AU Agenda 2063.
This article was originally released on the European Space Agency website on 19 August 2025. Read the original article here.