The African Open Data and Internet Research Foundation (AODIRF), a non-profit organisation focused on open data access and internet capacity building, is organising African Geospatial Data and Internet Conference 2019, on 22-24 October at Accra International Conference Centre.

The conference is being organised in collaboration with National Development Planning Commission Ghana, Ghana Statistical Service, Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (GODAN), Geospatial Media and Communications, and Space Generation Advisory Council. 

Africa has witnessed a remarkable growth in recent times, emerging as the world’s second fastest growing economy and attracting interest of governments and businesses from around the world. With digital transformation changing governance, businesses and daily life at an ever accelerating pace, efficient technology adoption will be the key to leveraging these opportunities.

In this digital era, geospatial information will be the game changer since most planning and development is location based. Better understanding and management of digital location-based data and services integrated with other attribute data can enable more efficient resource allocation for better service delivery.

With the theme “Shaping Africa’s Digital Future,” the conference will deliberate on integration of geospatial technology with industrial trends such as artificial intelligence, big data, IoT and 5G as an enabler of smart national infrastructure; and demonstrate the impact of technology convergence towards digital economy and society enabling future readiness.

It will focus on the role and relevance of geospatial information in national development; the business prospects of geospatial information for governments and businesses; the societal, business and consumer benefits of geospatial information; the emerging data-driven business models; and competitive advantage of robust domestic geospatial markets. 

The conference will bring to the fore the important role of geospatial information in development agendas including Sustainable Development Goals, African Union Agenda 2063; and key development sectors for Africa including agriculture,environment, land management, mining, oil and gas exploration, urban planning, natural resource management, utilities, energy, food security,transportation,climate change, financial services and so on.

The conference will be attended by diverse geospatial stakeholder - geospatial technology companies, geospatial data providers, national mapping and space agencies, policy makers, system integrators, consultants and project implementers, academia, research institutes, multilateral agencies, industry associations, and non-government organisations, from across Africa. The conference especially encourages women, start-ups, students, and young entrepreneurs and practitioners to participate. 

Wisdom Donkor, President and CEO, Africa Open Data and Internet Research Foundation, and Convenor for African Geospatial Data and Internet Conference 2019, says  “This maiden edition of the conference will bring together various stakeholder groups across Africa and the world to set the agenda on Africa’s digital future leveraging geospatial, open data, ICTs and internet technologies in Africa.

“Together and in a bottom-up process, we can connect Africa to the geospatial and Internet world. Completing the lineup of the conference’s programme will be the ever-popular exhibition to showcase state-of-the-art technologies, products and application solutions from leading companies, startups, academic/research institutions, entrepreneurs and other related organisations.”