SPACE APPLICATION & ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE LABORATORY
  • Spael News
    Updates on all SPAEL activities across the globe.
  • Geoformin
    GEOFORMIN is a GIS-based forest monitoring system. As articulated, it is capable of setting the pace for sustainable forest monitoring efforts in Nigeria.
  • Professor Ayobami T. Salami
    Head, Space Applications &
    Environmental Science Laboratory,
    Institute of Ecology and
    Environmental Studies,
    OAU, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
  • Workshop Report
    Space Applications & Environmental Science Laboratory Workshop Reports
  • Our Sponsors
    Details about those who support us.
  • Research
    Monitoring Deforestation and Implications for Biodiversity in Nigeria Using Data From NigeriaSat-1 and Other Satellites.
 

African for Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development

  
 

A Report of the African for Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) Workshop on Water management for Cropland and Rangeland Management held from August 16 -20, (Abuja) and August 23-27, 2010 (OAU, ILE-IFE)

 

Introduction
African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) is a program by the European Union Commission and African Union Commission aimed at deploying 50 E-Stations to Africa. It is a continental wide, pan-african project for the development of Geoinformation service, of which Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) is the regional economic community for that of West Africa countries. It is in line with this that a workshop in Abuja was held at the Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (NIHSA) and at the Space Applications & Environmental Science Laboratory (SPAEL), in the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies (IEES) in Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) Nigeria. The theme of the workshop was "Water management for Cropland and Rangeland Management". The goal of the workshop was to give information about what AMESD entails and products that will be expected which is to improve decision making-processes in the field of environmental resource and environmental risk management in Africa; by increasing the information capacity of African regional and national institutions mandated for environment-related sectors, and facilitates access to Africa-wide environmental information derived from Earth Observation technologies.

 

Attendance
The same workshop was held in Abuja and SPAEL in order to make provision for participants that cut across the country to attend. Twenty five (25) attended that of Abuja and another 25 attended the one that was held at SPAEL, OAU, Ile-Ife. The lists of the institution invited are stated below.

 

NIHSA, Abuja
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), Abuja
ECOWAS, Abuja
National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Abuja
Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, Abuja
Ecological Fund Office, Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Bullet Building, Eagle Square, Abuja
Climate Change Unit, Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja
Drought and Desertification Control Unit, Federal Ministry of Environment, Abuja
Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Water Resources, Abuja
Federal Department of Forestry, Abuja
Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Federal University of Technology, Yola
One participants each from the Ministries of Environment in the 13 frontline states in Northern Nigeria viz: Adamawa, Jigawa, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Borno, Nassarawa, Niger, Yobe and Zamfara

 

SPAEL OAU, Ile-Ife

Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Apapa, Lagos
Nigerian Institute of Marine and Oceanographic Research (NIOMR), Lagos
Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Port-Harcourt
Institute of Pollution Studies, Rivers State University of Technology, Port-Harcourt
Department of Environmental Technology, Federal University of Technology, Owerri
Institute of Oceanographic and Marine Research, Oron
Imo State Ministry of Environment
Bayelsa State Ministry of Environment
Rivers State Ministry of Environment
Delta State Ministry of Environment
Lagos State Ministry of Environment
Department of Water Resources Management & Agro meteorology, University of    Agriculture, Abeokuta
Cross Rivers State Ministry of Environment
Ogun State Ministry of Environment
Edo State Ministry of Environment
Ondo State Ministry of Environment
Osun State Ministry of Environment
Oyo State Ministry of Environment
Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (FRIN), Jericho, Ibadan
Nigeria Conservation Foundation (NCF), Lagos
Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), PUMA Station, Oshodi, Lagos
Abia State Ministry of Environment
Ekiti State Ministry of Environment
Enugu State Ministry of Environment
Regional Centre for Training in Aerospace Surveys, Ife
Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife

 

Lectures and Practicals
There were 14 lecture and 3 practical sessions in the 5-day workshop for each location (Abuja and Ile-Ife). The training coordinator was Prof. Ayobami T. Salami and he was assisted by Omodanisi Esther O. The staff of Nigeria Hydrological Service Agency (Abuja) and the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Studies (OAU, Ife) also supported the programme. The lectures and practical sessions are shown by Table 2. The Honourable Minister of Water Resources, Chief Obadiah Ando gave the keynote address at the opening ceremony on African Monitoring of the Environment for Sustainable Development (AMESD) using AMESD network reception and Environmental Indicator and its products.  Thereafter, Mr. Alfari from AGRHYMET, Niamey, Niger gave an overview of what AMESD is all about and what we expect from it. The training started fully on the second day with the Introduction to Remote Sensing/GIS and general overview of the previous products and what Nigeria is expected to have. The third day was centered on Vegetation Monitoring and its indicators with a practical session; while the fourth day was devoted to Climate and Meteorological indicators and a practical session. The fifth day was utilized to explain the E-Station that will be installed in Abuja and the upgrade in Lagos that was scheduled for October 2010. The participants contributed well in the practical/discussions and asked questions that demonstrated their understanding of the lectures.
The participants expressed their views through the evaluation form (Figs. 1 and 2). The workshop was a big success, being the first of its kind in the country.