By Godwill Arthur Mensah
Accra, Nov.16, GNA–Africa’s geospatial community is set for a historic milestone as two major continental events—the GISAFRICA (AfricaGIS) Conference and the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM Africa) Workshop on the United Nations Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (UN-IGIF) converge in Accra from 17–19 November 2025.
This landmark dual conference will bring together policymakers, government agencies, international experts, academia, private sector innovators, and development partners to advance geospatial innovation, digital transformation, and sustainable development across Africa.
The UN-IGIF Workshop, organized by UN-GGIM Africa, UN-GGKIC, UNECA, and partners, will focus on strengthening national geospatial capacities, country-level action plans, and leadership development.
Running alongside, the AfricaGIS 2025 Conference will feature plenaries, exhibitions, youth forums, and technical sessions showcasing Africa’s advancements in Earth observation, AI mapping, land governance, and climate resilience tools.
Together, these events will provide one of the most comprehensive platforms ever assembled for collaboration, policy dialogue, and innovation-sharing across sectors and countries.
Dr. Samuel Larbi Darko, Chair of the Local Organising Committee, stated: “Bringing these two high-level conferences together creates a powerful platform for Africa. It allows us to harmonize national and regional efforts, showcase our innovations, and jointly shape the continent’s geospatial development agenda. Ghana is honoured to host experts and leaders championing Africa’s future.”
Mr. Sives Govender, Chair of the International Organising Committee, added: “This combined event amplifies Africa’s voice in the global geospatial community. It reinforces our collective commitment to strengthening geospatial ecosystems, promoting digital public infrastructure, and driving the adoption of UN-IGIF across the region.”
The opening ceremony will be performed by Alhaji Yusif Sulemana, Deputy Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, underscoring Ghana’s commitment to harnessing geospatial information for national development, land administration, environmental sustainability, and digital transformation.
Participants will benefit from High-level plenary sessions and policy dialogues, multi stakeholder UN-IGIF implementation workshop, Africa GIS technical sessions, exhibitions, and innovation showcases and leadership development programmes as well as youth, academia, and private sector engagement.
The conferences will also address urgent continental challenges including climate change, urbanization, food security, disaster response, and digital inclusion.
Organizers emphasize that this joint event represents a historic opportunity for African nations to strengthen geospatial infrastructure, close data gaps, and accelerate progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
GNA
Edited by Christian Akorlie