The second GMES&Africa Tunisia national workshop started today, Wednesday October 25, 2023, in Monastir, Tunisia with the aim of building national capacities through the services provided by GMES&Africa and capitalizing on the Earth Observation achievements of the project phase 1.
The workshop is organized by the National Center for Mapping and Remote Sensing (CNCT) and the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), brings together Regional Commissioners for Agricultural Development (CRDAs), namely Mr. Hedi Hamrouni from Manouba, Mr. Mongi Chniter from Tataouine, Mr. Belgacem Ammar from Tozeur and Mrs. Farida Joumade Mansouri from Monastir.
The opening session was marked by the speech of Mr. Mondher Ben Sik Ali, Governor of Monastir who welcomed Tunisia's commitment to Pan-African initiatives, particularly GMES&Africa, promoting the use of space technologies for the sustainable management of natural resources.
In his speech, Mr. Nizar Tabia Technical Director at CNCT recalled the various challenges ahead of our continent, including drought, bush fires and desertification, thus leading to a shortage of natural resources. He also drew attention to the need to leverage modern technologies in land management, enabling sharper responsiveness and efficiency in the decision-making processes.
Mr. Ahmed Ezzine, GMES&Africa National Coordinator in Tunisia, underlined the relevance of the tools developed within the framework of the project and called upon the stakeholders to adopt them.
The regional commissioners recalled the climate features of their regions and showed great interest in the adoption of MISBAR, MISLAND and GuetCrop to support the land and water resources management.
Mr. Nabil Hamada, Administrative and Financial Department Coordinator and representative of the OSS Executive Secretary, said that GMES&Africa is an important instrument for African professionals working in the management of water, natural resources and agriculture.
Mr. Evence Zoungrana, Coordinator of the GMES&Africa OSS North Africa Consortium, underlined that the purpose of the project is not merely providing data and maps, thanks to the tools and techniques developed, but aims to help decision-makers and field-actors make informed decisions, in terms of land preservation, protection and restoration, rational management of the water resources, and monitoring of the evolution of agricultural campaigns.
This workshop highlights the achievements and lessons learned of the project phase 1, and sets out the strategy adopted to make sure the second phase is successfully implemented. It also aims to enable the various partners to use the services of the project, by highlighting case studies illustrating their impact in resolving specific problems encountered in their area of intervention.
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