FROM IKHILI EBALU, BENIN CITY
National Space Research and Development Agency, NASRDA, has donated specialised hardware to Edo State Geographic Information Service, EDOGIS, aimed at enhancing its capacity and commitment to Geospatial Data Management.
Director-general, NASDRA, represented by a Senior Director in the Agency, Dr Innocent Bello, made the donation at a recent critical training session at EDOGIS premises.
He noted that the gesture was partly in recognition of the outstanding feat of EDOGIS as the winner of the Best State GIS in Nigeria conferred on it by the federal government in October, 2024.
He disclosed that the deployment of the hardware in the operations of EDOGIS is aimed at strengthening the agency’s capacity and commitment to enhanced Geospatial Data Management in Nigeria.
The historic handover ceremony of the hardware was during the unveiling of the four-day GRID³ Nigeria Project held recently.
Participants at the event were drawn from different Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs, in Edo State who were trained for four days to enhance their knowledge and capacity in Geospatial Data Management.
The participating MDAs include the Ministries of Education; Physical Planning Urban and Regional Development; Women Affairs; Environment and the host, EDOGIS.
NASDRA’s director-general, in an address delivered on his behalf by Dr Innocent Bello, highlighted the country’s achievements since entering the global space community in 2003 with the launch of NigeriaSat-1.
According to him, the country’s milestone laid the groundwork for leveraging remote sensing data to address socio-cultural and environmental challenges.
”Over the years, Nigeria has made significant strides in deploying geo-information technologies for disaster management, security, agriculture, telemedicine and other critical sectors.
He said, The GRID³ Nigeria Project aims to enhance the coordination, collection and management of geospatial data to ensure evidence-based policy making and equitable resource distribution, particularly benefiting vulnerable populations. The initiative will also bolster access to updated geospatial datasets for state governments, private sector players and non-governmental organisations.
“Additionally, it seeks to strengthen the capacity of data managers through hands-on training in geospatial data applications”, he declared.
In her remarks, the Managing Director, EDOGIS, Osaro Aihie, appreciated the representative of the director-general and his team for the choice of EDOGIS as the training center and assured them of the usual warmth and culture of hospitality that Edo State is known for.
