The GMES & Africa initiative is a collaboration between the European Commission and the African Union Commission, aims to enhance and expand the use of Earth Observation (EO) data—both satellite and ground-based—across Africa. Its goal is to build stronger infrastructure and capabilities for leveraging EO technologies and services to support environmental policies and promote sustainable development.

Prerequisites:

• Institutional & political interest and support for utilising EO technologies for services

• Understand national

policies and identify national policies that utilise EO data

• Identify and build relationships with stakeholders involved in policy implementation

• Access to EO data, data processing and analysis capabilities

Cost:

• Ballpark: USD 20k–250k

• Includes: literature review and baseline study, stakeholder consultations report drafting and validation, legal review, parliamentary passage/decrees if needed

Timeframe:

• Overall: 6–12 mo

• Phase: scoping (1–2 mo), consultation (2–4 mo), drafting (2–4 mo), validation (1–2 mo)

Pros:

• Policy Coherence - Increases chances of securing funding and support, fostering project implementation.

Considerations:

• Timeline - The process of supporting and actually implementing national policies takes time.

• Articulation - Coordinating efforts across various stakeholders such as governmental departments can be complex.