Presentation Information
[_NIQuy3K-01]Empowering Africa’s Blue Economy: Co-Designing the African Digital Twins of the Ocean
*Hassan Moustahfid 1 (1. UN Ocean Decade Africa Task Force/IOOS (USA))
Africa faces pressing marine challenges, from coastal vulnerabilities to sustainable fisheries management and climate adaptation. Digital Twins of the Ocean (DITTO) offer a transformative, user-driven approach to addressing these issues. Globally, operational digital twins integrate real-time observations, AI, and advanced modeling to empower decision-makers, enhance disaster resilience, and drive sustainable blue economy innovation. However, translating these global principles into a sovereign, interoperable African digital ecosystem requires a dedicated, regionally led co-design strategy.
To bridge the gap from concept to capability, the African Ocean Decade Taskforce and OceanPrediction DCC are convening a pivotal implementation workshop in Cotonou, Benin, in October 2026. Acting as a collaborative hub, this multi-stakeholder gathering will bring together African governments, researchers, operational agencies, industry partners, and Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) to construct an actionable DITTO roadmap tailored to the continent's unique environmental and economic landscape.
This presentation will unveil the immediate, fresh outcomes of the October workshop. The session will detail the co-designed regional architecture, exploring how it builds on Africa’s existing high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities while harnessing complementary infrastructure from global partners, cloud ecosystems, and regional observing systems to support maritime development. Furthermore, we will present the workshop’s consensus on priority cross-sector applications, such as fisheries management, hazard forecasting, and coastal infrastructure resilience, alongside proposed governance frameworks grounded in FAIR data principles and African data sovereignty.
By sharing these forward-looking strategies, this work will highlight how inclusive, regional co-design accelerates the deployment of functional, Earth-to-Society digital platforms. The anticipated Cotonou roadmap will provide a replicable model for developing user-driven, operational digital twins that directly empower Africa's blue economy, support resilient coastal communities, and solidify the continent’s leadership within the UN Ocean Decade.
To bridge the gap from concept to capability, the African Ocean Decade Taskforce and OceanPrediction DCC are convening a pivotal implementation workshop in Cotonou, Benin, in October 2026. Acting as a collaborative hub, this multi-stakeholder gathering will bring together African governments, researchers, operational agencies, industry partners, and Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs) to construct an actionable DITTO roadmap tailored to the continent's unique environmental and economic landscape.
This presentation will unveil the immediate, fresh outcomes of the October workshop. The session will detail the co-designed regional architecture, exploring how it builds on Africa’s existing high-performance computing (HPC) capabilities while harnessing complementary infrastructure from global partners, cloud ecosystems, and regional observing systems to support maritime development. Furthermore, we will present the workshop’s consensus on priority cross-sector applications, such as fisheries management, hazard forecasting, and coastal infrastructure resilience, alongside proposed governance frameworks grounded in FAIR data principles and African data sovereignty.
By sharing these forward-looking strategies, this work will highlight how inclusive, regional co-design accelerates the deployment of functional, Earth-to-Society digital platforms. The anticipated Cotonou roadmap will provide a replicable model for developing user-driven, operational digital twins that directly empower Africa's blue economy, support resilient coastal communities, and solidify the continent’s leadership within the UN Ocean Decade.
Comment
To browse or post comments, you must log in.Log in