EUMETSAT User Forum in Africa consolidates on established user community dialogue 6-7 October 2021
The EUMETSAT User Forum in Africa, organized every two years in collaboration with the National Meteorological Service of the host country, together with relevant governmental institutions and ministries met from 6-7 October 2021 to facilitate the use of EUMETSAT satellite data throughout the continent of Africa.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony the AMCOMET Bureau Chair Mr Jean Ernest Masena Ngalle Bibehe who is the Cameroon Minister of Transport pointed out that the African Union Commission (AUC) with the support of the European Commission (EC), and in collaboration with EUMETSAT and various partners has been able to provide some infrastructure and training to African users, in particular the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and Regional Climate Centers (RCCs), in preparation for the launch of the Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Satellites which has a strong footprint on the African Continent.
Among the issues discussed include MTG Africa and the AMSAF (Africa Meteorological Application Satellite Facility), the upgrade of the PUMA Stations which were a precursor to the AMESA and the Inter-ACP Climate Services (Clim SA) all of which have ensured Africa’s direct process to satellite data facilities of EUMETSAT.
The User Forum in Africa is to sustain the well-established dialogue between EUMETSAT and the African user community, in particular, the National Meteorological Services and their regional centres.
The AMCOMET Bureau Chair, said, ‘we look forward to the building and launching the African Satellite, or the constellations of national satellites with a data sharing policy to allow access to data of other countries, in line with the implementation of the AU Space Strategy”.