The ambitious training programme of the PanAfGeo Project is now a reality. The first training of “WP2 – MINERAL RESOURCES ASSESSMENT” will be held from 5 June 2017 to 16 June 2017 in Windhoek, Namibia. PanAfGeo WP2 will organise seven training sessions in “Mineral Resources Assessment” across Africa during 2017-2019, some of which will be held in English, French and possibly Portuguese. The second Training session will take place in Nigeria in November 2017.   BACKGROUND “PanAfGeo” for “Pan-African Support to the EuroGeoSurveys-Organisation of African Geological Surveys (EGS-OAGS) Partnership” is a project which supports the training of geoscientific staff from African Geological Surveys through the development of an innovative training programme that includes the acquisition and development of important professional skills that complement their qualifications and technical skills. The training programme is carried out by world-class geoscientific experts coming from African and European Geological Surveys. PanAfGeo is co-funded by the European Commission (Directorate-General of Development and International Cooperation) and by a Consortium of 12 European Geological Surveys coordinated by the French Geological Survey (BRGM). To find out more about PANAFGEO training programme please visit...

The Geoscientific Knowledge and Skills in African Geological Surveys (PanAfGeo) Project, presented last 29th August in Cape Town, South Africa, during the 35th International Geological Congress (IGC35), has attracted more than 200 participants, mainly from African Countries. The project’s aim, in fact, is to organise a series of effective and impacting trainings for the staff of the African geological administrations in the field of remote sensing and geoscientific mapping, mineral resources assessment, environmental management of mines, artisanal and small-scale mining, geoscience information management, geohazards monitoring and geoheritage valorization. Mr. Mosebenzi Joseph Zwane, Minister of Mineral Resources of the Republic of South Africa, opened the symposium, highlighting the full support of his ministry for such initiative. Stronger administrations, means more and better information, less bureaucracy and more transparency in the administrative steps, that translates into more investment attractiveness. Also raw materials trade is important, as countries would benefit of the synergies and commerce with relatively wealthy neighbouring ones. A similarly strong same support came from Mr Frank Mugyenyi, Senior Industry Advisor to African Union Commissioner Acyl, who sees in the Organisation of African Geological Surveys an ideal partner for developing more conscious decision making procedures, in terms of economic and infrastructure development, and encourage entrepreneurial activities. Mr Verbruggen, President of EuroGeoSurveys, expressed satisfaction for having reached this milestone, after so many months of joint effort, but reminded that the real challenge is starting now and that huge expectations lie behind this project. However the premises are great, especially because a good start is half the job. Stronger Geological Surveys mean stronger local industries and more investments from abroad, is what has been recognised by all the stakeholders invited at the panel discussion, such as Mr. Marcus Cornaro, European Union Ambassador to the Republic of South...

The Group on Earth Observation XII Plenary and the 2015 Mexico City Ministerial Summit, as well as all associated meetings and events, will be hosted by the Government of Mexico and will take place in Mexico City from 9 to 13 November 2015. The AfriGEOSS Side Event will take place on the 10th of November 2015, (14.00 – 18.00 PM). The AfriGEOSS initiative, developed within the GEO framework, aims to enhance Africa’s capacity for producing, managing and using Earth observations data and information and to strengthen the link between GEO activities and existing capabilities and initiatives in Africa. The Side Event will review progress made towards the implementation of AfriGEOSS since its launch, including progress on developing the concept for data access and dissemination in Africa. The Workshop aims at creating synergies and coordination with a number of activities contributing to AfriGEOSS in order to strengthen efforts. In particular the side event will use the recently awarded PanAfGeo project to explore harmonization with existing efforts, especially in the area of mapping and training. PanAfGeo will enhance the capacity and role of African National Geological Surveys (i.e. regional mapping and exploration, mineral resources assessments, trainings, etc.), and therefore represents an opportunity for many African GEOSS stakeholders involved in the geosciences to have their concerns addressed. In this framework the session has the scope to initiate discussions on the involvement and role of non-Geological Survey stakeholders and the benefits to GEOSS. GEO has been formally listed as a key PanAfGeo stakeholder, and its opinion will be taken into consideration during the project development. Moreover PanAfGeo will partially continue the AEGOS (Africa-Europe Geoscientific Observation Network) Project, which was contributing to AfriGEOSS. If you are interested in attending the workshop, it is necessary to register at the following...

PRESS RELEASE Mining on Top: Africa – London Summit 24th-26th June 2015, Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London, UK   Mr Verbruggen, President of EuroGeoSurveys (The Geological Surveys of Europe) and Director of the Geological Survey of Ireland, has been invited to be part of the high level panel of speakers in the Africa London Summit ‘Mining on Top’. The conference will be focused on creating a connection between nations, investors and industry leaders to drive economic and social development in Africa through mining. In this framework the key words will be: the importance to invest in infrastructure, the regeneration of Ebola-affected areas, and the political certainty. To face these important topics one of the essential steps is to identify the key market drivers and to understand the future outlook for Africa’s commodities. It is commonly acknowledged that African minerals resources are severely under-exploited, especially because still unexplored or classified, and in this regard Mr Verbruggen will focus on a specific EuroGeoSurveys project, based on the AU–EU geoscientific collaboration, ‘PanAfGeo’. Minerals exploration and mapping is one of the main tasks of Geological Surveys. As Mr Verbruggen will explain during his speech, such information has a huge value, but is extremely difficult to produce as well as the collection, harmonization and sharing of geological map data on the African continent. Mapping geology is not easy. It requires skilled individuals and technical tools that several Geological Surveys in Africa are not able to afford. It is then evident that one of the primary actions to boost development in Africa is to increase the capacities and competence of its geological administrations. The strategy proposed by PanAfGeo focuses on establishing long-term strategic cooperation in the areas of: governance of natural resources, sustainable exploitation of non-energy mineral resources, prevention and mitigation of natural...

PanAfGeo has achieved unanimous consensus: from feasibility study to project? From the 8th to 10th February 2015, several fruitful workshops and bilateral meetings took place in Cape Town, South Africa, on the feasibility study, that has conceived PanAfGeo, an ambitious project, aiming at increasing knowledge and skills in African Geological Surveys. PanAfGeo is focused on establishing long-term strategic cooperation in several areas such as governance of natural resources, sustainable exploitation of non-energy mineral resources, prevention and mitigation of natural and man-made disasters and support to the development of the local mining sector. PanAfGeo comes as a result of increasing cooperation between EuroGeoSurveys (EGS) and the Organisation of African Geological Surveys (OAGS), with the support of several key stakeholders such as the EC, AUC, UNESCO, UNECA/AMDC, UNDP and the World Bank amongst others. The preliminary phase of PanAfGeo, a joint EGS-OAGS effort to produce a feasibility study, is now complete. During a series of workshops, the study underwent a full review from representatives of the African Union Commission, European Union – including DG GROW and DG DEVCO from the European Commission – UNESCO, Geological Society of Africa and several others, which expressed unanimous support for an implementation phase. Mr Roeland van de Geer, Ambassador of the European Union to South Africa, declared “There is a need to overcome the disparities in Africa that are based on differed wealth, in strengthening the national institutions such as National Geological Surveys and the Organisation of African Geological Surveys”. Africa is home to 30% of the world’s reserves of natural resources including several strategic and critical minerals. However its share of the global metal production is minor and has not developed largely compared to e.g. Asia or Latin America, whilst the world’s demand of minerals is still increasing. In...