UNU-INRA built capacity of 15 African professionals on Geospatial Technologies
The
United Nations University Institute of Natural Resources(UNU-INRA), has built
the capacity of 15 African professionals in Geospatial Technologies aimed at
equipping them with concepts, functional skills, methods and techniques
required for prescribing location specific solutions in addressing resource
management challenges facing Africa today.
In all, 15 professionals from
Ghana and Nigeria drawn from diverse backgrounds which include resource
management and research, science students, soil science, electrical
engineering, hydrogeology as well as the media partake in the 5-day intensive
training course.
The participants were taken
through GIS, Remote sensing, Global Positioning System(GPS), Georeferencing and
Digitizing; a combination of hands-on exercise with fieldwork (practicals)
backed by theory.
The training was conducted by
Mr. Kwabena O. Asubonteng and Mr. Seyram Kofi Loh who are specialized
instructors in GIS and remote sensing technologies at the institute.
According to Mr. Seyram Kofi
Loh, the purpose of the training was to bring up to speed researchers as well
as resource managers in Africa on application of GIS and remote sensing
technology as data capturing and decision support tools geared towards
effective research work.
The participants, made up of 14
Ghanaians and 1 Nigerian include David Wayne Butuacquah-Mensah (Electrical
Engineer), Asabena Anokye Mensah (CEO, Anomena Ventures), Divine Ofori
Ahadjie(student), Rich Kofituo (Research Assistant, IITA-Ghana), Efia Boakye
Addo (Planning Assistant, Miro Forestry Ghana), Elorm Dzodzodzi(Student) and
Joseph Kobla Wemakor (Editor-In-Chief, Ghananewsone.com).
The rest are Prof. Daniel
Okae-Anti (Prof in Soil Science UCC), Adetona Adeyemi (Chief Engineer, National
Water Resources Institute, Kaduna, Nigeria), Samuel Mensah Turkson (Miro
Forestry Ghana Ltd.), Emmanuel Ayine Ayimpusah(student), Samson Renner
(Hydrogeologist, Global Communities-Ghana), Daniel Agyei (student), and Jeffrey
Sumsoh (Reseacher, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical).
The participants were presented
by certificates of participation at the end of the training which was executed
by Dr Fatima Denton on behalf of UNU-INRA.
Addressing participants at a
short ceremony prior to the presentation of the certificates, Dr. Fatima
Denton, Director of UNU-INRA implore the participants to make judicious use of
the knowledge gained to their own benefit and that of the nation.
She charges them to always
ensure to network with the institute with the response on how useful the
knowledge gained has improved them in their fields of works to inform its
decision if there’s the need to improve upon the training program to fit other
stakeholders.
According to her, the GIS
technology forms key part of the institute’s agenda owing to its relevance in
collecting, analyzing and monitoring of data for that matter chosen as a
flagship training program to augment better conservation and harnessing of the
Africa’s natural resources.
Speaking in an interview with
Ghananewsone.com, Dr. Fatima Denton appealed to governments of all African
countries to endeavor to invest in Geographic Information System(GIS) including
other Geospatial technologies and be fully committed to building capacity of
their officials and stakeholders in order to help detect and insulate their
countries from potential natural disasters.
For his part, GIS Course
Coordinator of UNU-INRA,
Mr.
Kwabena O. Asubonteng observed that the GIS technology is a powerful tool which
is capable of shaping Ghana’s economy in diverse ways if judiciously applied to
work by all Ghanaians.
He bemoaned most Ghanaians who
are in possession of the knowledge have failed woefully in its application to
work, but rather resorted to conducting only “administrative work” instead of
harnessing the power of the GIS technology in decision making.
“The
other side of the problem is that some institutions have it and over the years
trying to build up solid data to be applied in such systems but have also
always been a challenge and we cannot run away from the benefits of the system”,
he posited.
For him, the only way through
which Ghana can enjoy the full benefit of technology is when it builds a
national spatial infrastructure to harmonize all data and manage its
institutions, so that for example, the Ghana Water Company Ltd., ECG, GRA and
the Forestry Commission among others can easily have access to data to inform
policy making.
“Elsewhere all these mini
systems are integrated at a central point where security people can use but
everybody has a clearance level, so you cannot run away from data”, he
explained.
Some participants who interacted
with the media on the sideline of the 5-day program expressed satisfaction,
fulfilment and eagerness to face their works with hope knowing very well they
have been immersed in knowledge.
Professor Daniel Okae Anti, a
participant and a lecturer in soil science department at the University of Cape
Coast(UCC) maintained that as someone who uses geostatistical tools a lot in
finding the variation of soil resources such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
among others, discovered that GIS technology and his field of work are related
hence the motivation to undergo the course.
When asked about his overall
assessment of the program, he said: It’s been useful 5-day program, however
tight it is, I think we’ve managed to go through and I remarked that I really
liked the combination of the theory and the hands-on exercises. And another
impression is that looking at the background of the participants, I’ve also
come to appreciate that GIS and remote sensing is not limited to only science
biased people but all fields.” He furthered: “I mean those into humanities
collecting data by questionnaires or what not, you could still pick up the
questionnaire and find or attach a location to where you pick the sources so
it’s an open material for all fields which is the most important thing.
UNU-INRA is one of the 15
Research and Training Centres/Programmes of the United Nations University(UNU).
The aim of the Institute is to bridge the gap between science and natural resources
management policies in Africa.
Its
mandate is to contribute to the sustainable development of Africa’s natural
resources in a way that maintains the quality of the natural environment and
transforms lives.
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