Africa Must Strengthen Geospatial Capabilities to Unlock Sustainable Development, UNECA Urges
Cape Town, South Africa – Africa must strengthen its geospatial information capabilities to fully harness the sector's potential for sustainable development, economic growth, and informed policymaking, according to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA).
Speaking during the FIG XXVIII Congress in Cape Town, André Nonguierma, Chief of UNECA's Geospatial Information Management Section, emphasized that while the global geospatial industry has grown into a multibillion-dollar market, Africa currently accounts for only 2.7% of the global geospatial information market.
Nonguierma noted that UNECA has worked alongside African countries since the 1960s to strengthen geospatial capabilities. While early efforts focused primarily on producing basic geospatial data, the emphasis has now shifted toward building institutional capacity in geospatial information management.
This work aligns with both the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 and the African Union's Agenda 2063, recognizing geospatial information as a critical enabler of evidence-based planning, infrastructure development, environmental management, and economic transformation.
"The geospatial sector is moving from technical mapping to becoming a strategic leadership capability," Nonguierma said.
Despite growing political recognition of the value of geospatial information, Nonguierma warned that Africa continues to face a significant implementation gap.
"There are strong policy commitments but limited implementation capacity. This gap is where development outcomes are lost. Closing it must be our priority," he stated.
He stressed that geospatial information should no longer be viewed solely as a technical discipline but as an essential component of governance and national decision-making. Achieving this requires making geospatial information more accessible and understandable to policymakers and senior government leaders.
To accelerate progress, Nonguierma outlined several priorities for strengthening Africa's geospatial ecosystem. These include establishing effective governance frameworks that promote coordination across institutions, investing in long-term capacity development, and creating sustainable financing models aligned with national development goals.
He also highlighted the importance of collaboration, noting that no single institution can drive transformation alone.
"We need coordinated systems of collaboration," he said.
According to Nonguierma, African governments should provide leadership through policy and investment, while the private sector drives innovation, academia contributes research and technical expertise, and international partners support regional cooperation and alignment.
The session concluded with a call for stronger political support, enhanced institutional mandates, and improved data-sharing networks across the continent.
Nonguierma urged stakeholders to advocate for the value of geospatial information using evidence, foster cross-sector collaboration, and demonstrate measurable development outcomes.
As Africa advances its digital transformation agenda, strengthening geospatial information systems will be critical to achieving resilient infrastructure, sustainable land management, climate adaptation, and the broader ambitions of Agenda 2063.
The discussions at the FIG XXVIII Congress reinforced that unlocking the full value of geospatial information will require coordinated action from governments, industry, academia, and development partners alike.