Seventh Meeting of the United Nations Global Geospatial Information Management for Africa (UN-GGIM: Africa)

I. Introduction and background

• The UN-GGIM: Africa initiative was established to coordinate African geospatial development and to contribute to the broader global effort. UN-GGIM: Africa has made significant strides in regaining momentum and demonstrating to the national and international communities that it is committed to contribute towards national and international agendas. To pursue a robust advocacy campaign directed at African policymakers and to bolster the effort to transform geospatial information into a true enabler of sustainable development, the Executive Board scheduled the Seventh Meeting of the Regional Committee of UN-GGIM: Africa concurrently with the AfricaGIS 2021 Conference, and this meeting took place in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, from 22–26 November 2021.

II. Objectives

• The meeting's primary objective was to assess progress in implementing recommendations from past UN-GGIM: Africa meetings. The meeting provided another opportunity to exchange knowledge and best practices regarding the development of geospatial information on the continent; raised awareness about the benefits of geospatial information for sustainable development; examined policies and measures that African countries could take in order to ensure the successful implementation of the UN-GGIM initiative in the region within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
  
  
• The conclusions of the meeting aided in consolidating agreed consensus as well as galvanizing political will for harnessing geospatial information technology to further African development goals while assisting efforts to address certain growing global concerns.