icipe Appointed Long-Term Owner of the DE Africa Programme
Geoscience Australia (GA) has announced that the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) has been appointed as the Long-Term Owner of the Digital Earth Africa (DE Africa) Programme. icipe will assume complete operational management of DE Africa from 1 April 2026, with services remaining fully operational during the transition period from December 2025 to March 2026. Stakeholders, funders, and partners will continue to play a key role in shaping the program’s direction.
The appointment follows a competitive open tender process to select a services provider to transition the programme to full African ownership beyond March 2028, when fiduciary oversight will transfer from GA. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust funds the initiative.
Leadership Statements
Ms Alison Rose, Chief of GA’s Space Division, stated: “We are thrilled with the outcome. icipe brings over 50 years of pan-African science-led development leadership, with expertise in designing, deploying, and maintaining scalable, secure, high-performance data platforms. Their experience in governance, leadership, stakeholder engagement, and capacity building aligns with DE Africa’s mission, positioning them to ensure continuity and growth beyond March 2028.”
Dr Abdou Tenkouano, Director General of icipe, commented: “We are honoured to be appointed Long-Term Owner of DE Africa. Since 2011, icipe has applied Earth observation data to Africa’s most pressing challenges, making us a natural partner to enhance this program. Our approach prioritises African governance, leadership, user-driven science, partnerships, and capacity building, ensuring DE Africa remains relevant and responsive.”
Walter Panzirer, Trustee of the Helmsley Charitable Trust, added: “Our investment ensures DE Africa continues to provide a free, public-good Earth observation platform to African nations. Securing a long-term African owner is a landmark step for sustaining impact, increasing adoption, and fostering self-reliance well beyond the grant period.”
About DE Africa
Digital Earth Africa translates Earth observation data into actionable insights to support sustainable development across the continent. The platform enables governments, industry, and decision-makers to track changes in areas such as:
- Flooding, drought, and water availability
- Agriculture and forest cover
- Land use and land cover change
- Coastal erosion and human settlements
DE Africa’s Strategic Goals
- Livelihood Strengthening: Informing decisions at governmental and sectoral levels to improve community outcomes.
- Economic Development: Enabling commercial products and services through access to EO data, supporting business growth and job creation.
- Digital Transformation: Driving industry uptake and innovation across Africa’s digital economy.
- Development Effectiveness: Enhancing understanding of challenges, strengthening collective impact, and supporting progress toward national priorities, AU Agenda 2063, and UN SDGs.
About The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe)
Established in 1970 and headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya, icipe is the only institution in Africa working primarily on insects and other arthropods. icipe’s Vision and Strategy 2026-2030 commits to world-class research and innovation across human, animal, plant, and environmental health within a One Health paradigm. Through this strategy, the Centre seeks to deliver nature-positive, affordable solutions to strengthen agri-food systems, improve global health, conserve biodiversity, and build resilience to climate change. Backed by strategic partnerships, strong capacity development and inclusive approaches, icipe aims to translate insect science into measurable impact, contributing to a sustainable bioeconomy, human capital development and improved livelihoods across Africa and beyond.
This article was originally published on DE Africa’s website on November 27, 2025. Read the original article here.