Following on from the successful implementation of ODINAFRICA - I (1998-2000), in particular in East Africa, the Government of Flanders (Kingdom of Belgium) has approved the project proposed for the second phase of the ODINAFRICA project, and will provide financial support worth $2,300,00 over a period of three years (2000-2003).

The objectives of the project are: (i) providing assistance in the development and operation of national oceanographic data (and information) centres and establishing their networking in Africa; (ii) providing training opportunities in marine data and information management, applying standard formats and methodologies as defined by IODE; (iii) assist in the development and maintenance of national, regional and pan-African marine metadata, information and databases; (iv) assist in the development and dissemination of marine and coastal data and information products responding to the needs of a wide variety of user groups using national and regional networks.

These objectives correspond directly to the recommendations made by the PACSICOM workshops. The document relating to the ODINAFRICA project was prepared jointly by experts from 18 African Member States.

The first ODINAFRICA II planning workshop was organized by UNESCO's Regional Office for Education in Africa in Dakar, Senegal, from 2 to 4 May 2000. There were participants from the following African countries: Benin, Cameroon, Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania and Togo. There were also representatives of OAU and Australian and Belgian institutions, who will be asked to provide external expertise for the project. The workshop revised the project document and adopted a plan of work, a budget and a management structure which will be used to set up the project. The partners decided to accept the request of Togo and Comoros to join the Partnership project, thus bringing the total number of partners to 20 members. The partners also appointed two regional coordinators, Dr Sekou Cisse (Guinea) for the West African region (IOCEA) and Mr Mika Odido (Kenya) for the East Africa and Southern Africa region (IOCINCWIO). Those two coordinators were subsequently recruited by IOC as consultants. Execution of ODINAFRICA - II began on 1 September 2000.

The pan-African network established under the ODINAFRICA project is likely to prove an excellent platform for the dissemination of information on the African process to a large number of partners. The network may also help to bring together African experts within working groups in order to draft project proposals for submission to donors at the Partnership Conference.

Fifth session of the IOC Regional Committee for the Central Eastern Atlantic (IOCEA-V)

The fifth session of the IOC Regional Committee for the Central Eastern Atlantic was held in Dakar, Senegal, from 5 to 11 May 2000. With a view to promoting the African process in the region, IOC invited H.E. Ms Rejoyce T. Mabudafhasi, in her capacity as Chairperson of the Preparatory Committee, to address the session. The Member States of IOCEA invited the United Nations agencies to support the African process, and laid particular stress on follow-up to UNESCO technical workshops. In addition, the IOC and Preparatory Committee secretariats were requested to ensure the participation of the IOCEA delegation in the Partnership Conference with a view to presentation of the full range of projects proposed for the region. The Regional Committee undertook to provide aid to the process, and requested that its approach, which consists in drawing on African specialists for the development and implementation of development projects in the African continent, should serve as a model for programmes launched by international organizations, including IOC.

A plan of work was drawn up and adopted by the Member States of the region. It comprises specific actions concerning: (i) coordination and strengthening of IOC activities in the IOCEA region; (ii) follow-up to PACSICOM and the African Process; (iii) strengthening of the large marine ecosystems projects in the IOCEA region; (iv) partnership between IOC and the regional institutions for the long-term development of oceanography and marine sciences in the IOCEA region; (v) sustainable management of marine resources and protection of biodiversity; (vi) ocean dynamics and the impact on coastal processes; (viii) marine and coastal pollution; (viii) studies of sediment flows in coastal estuaries.

This plan of work will be implemented by IOC in collaboration with regional and international organizations, and with the help of Member States within and outside the region.

GOOS-Africa

GOOS-Africa is a coordination committee established in July 1998 for the purpose of promoting the development of GOOS in Africa. With the help of the GOOS-AFRICA Coordination Committee, chaired by Professor Geoff Brundritt of Cape Town University, IOC organized a MedGOOS workshop (in the Mediterranean) for the countries of North Africa and the Mediterranean in Rabat in November 1999. The workshop came up with a proposal which has just been submitted to the European Commission, which is being asked to contribute to the setting up of a data and information management system. The next stage in the programme will be the holding of a meeting for East Africa in spring-summer 2001 with a view to further developing the Western Indian Ocean Marine Applications Project (WIOMAP), which was set up in 1997. A proposal launched by WIOMAP has recently been developed by the countries of the region and will be finalized and transmitted to GEF and other donors for funding. This meeting will be held in conjunction with a meeting of IOCINWIO and/or ODINAFRICA. GOOS-AFRICA is aimed at developing further proposals in order to act on the recommendations made by the PACSICOM Conference, in particular enhancing the current indicator network for measuring sea levels around Africa, and providing access to and training in the use of oceanographic data obtained by remote sensing using satellites. These topics will be dealt with in the East Africa workshops.

GOOS-AFRICA has also worked with the countries of West Africa with a view to encouraging participation in the PIRATA project, which relies on buoys in the tropical Atlantic to detect and forecast climate changes in Brazil and West Africa. PIRATA extension meetings were held in Casablanca and Cape Town in the period 1999-2000. These efforts are to be continued.

In addition, GOOS was included in the agenda of the IOCEA meeting in March 2000. That meeting will help to ensure that the countries of the region exert greater efforts to develop various aspects of GOOS. A workshop designed to help that process is scheduled for West Africa in 2002. In addition, other forms of aid for GOOS in Africa have been available through the ODINAFRICA information centres and thanks to GLOSS training courses in the field of sea level measurement in Cape Town in 1999.