United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Office in Nairobi, Kenya

Marine Sciences

The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO provides Member States of the United Nations with an essential mechanism for global cooperation in the study of the oceans. The IOC assists governments to address their individual and collective ocean and coastal problems through the sharing of knowledge, information and technology, and through the coordination of national programmes.

The following activities are implemented through the UNESCO Nairobi Office:

OCEAN DATA AND INFORMATION NETWORK FOR AFRICA ( www.odinafrica.net )

The Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA) has continued to provide support to institutions hosting the NODCs to enable them develop a core set of data and information products. These include but not limited to: library catalogues, catalogues of data national data sets and data sources (meta databases), directories of marine and freshwater professionals, directories of marine related institutions, marine data archives and marine biodiversity databases. The funds provided covered purchase of consumables , communications (including internet access), publishing costs, public awareness, local travel, workshop facilitation, software, equipment upgrade and hardware maintenance. A total of 21 participating countries ( Angola , Benin , Cameroon , Comoros , Congo , Cote D'Ivoire , Egypt , Gabon , Ghana , Guinea , Kenya , Mauritania , Mauritius , Morocco , Mozambique , Namibia , Nigeria , Senegal , United Republic of Tanzania, Togo and Tunisia ) have benefited during the current phase. The National Oceanographic Data and Information Centres have launched websites of the form www.nodc-countryname.org (eg www.nodc-benin.org ) through which their services and products are availed.

Staff from NODCs in Africa at a training session

Other activities implemented by ODINAFRICA include:

The African Sea Level Observation Network: ODINAFRICA, in close collaboration with the Indian Ocean Tsunami Early Warning and Mitigation System and the Global Sea Level Observing System have embarked on a programme to strengthen the African Sea Level Observation Network. New tide gauges have been installed in Pointe Noire ( Congo ), Djibouti ( Djibouti ), Nouakchott ( Mauritania ), and Takoradi ( Ghana ). Existing sea level stations in Port Louis and Rodrigues ( Mauritius ), Mombasa and Lamu ( Kenya ), Zanzibar ( Tanzania ), and Pointe de la Rue ( Seychelles ) have been upgraded. Data from these stations can be accessed at www.sealevelstation.net . The first ODINAFRICA/GLOSS training course on sea level measurement and interpretation and related fields will be held from 13-23 November 2006 at the IODE Project Office, Oostende, Belgium and attended by 15 trainers from Angola, Cameroon, Congo, Cote D'Ivoire, Djibouti, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, Seychelles and Tanzania.

New tide gauge installed in Takoradi , Ghana

Details on the status of the Sea Level network can be accessed at www.iode.org/glossafrica .

The African Marine Atlas.

African Marine Atlas area of interest.

The African Marine Atlas developed by the Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA) was officially launched on 23 February 2007 The atlas, which can be accessed at http://www.africanmarineatlas.net , provides substantial maps, images, data and information to coastal resource managers, planners and decision-makers from various administrative institutions and specialized agencies in Africa . It has over 800 downloadable data products derived from the fields of marine geo-sphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, biosphere, geopolitical and the human socio-economic dimensions. The Atlas indicates areas of intense use along the coastline requiring careful management and provides potential foresight on likely consequences of specific decisions. Further, the Atlas indicates gaps in knowledge and information base, where additional efforts may be directed. The atlas was developed by a team of 16 marine scientists and GIS experts from Benin , Ghana , Kenya , Mauritania , Mauritius , Mozambique , Namibia , Senegal , Seychelles , South Africa , and Tanzania working together with international ocean data experts. Primary partners in this project were the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the African Coelecanth Ecosystem Programme (ACEP).

Access to marine related information.

Several data bases have been developed to facilitate easy access marine related information from Africa . These include:

•  OceanDocs- Africa - an electronic repository to make publications in marine science from scientists affiliated to ODINAFRICA institutes (available at www.oceandocs.net )

•  Union catalogue of holdings of libraries of marine institutions in Africa http://www.odinafrica.org/afrilib/

•  Catalogue of journals available in marine institutions in Africa http://library.csumb.edu/iamslic/africa/unionlist/

•  The African Ocean Portal ( www.africanoceans.net ) provides access to information and data on all aspects of ocean/coastal research and management related to Africa for the benefit of various communities such as decision makers, the private sector, the research and education community and the general public.

UNESCO/IOC CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT BPROGRAMME

UNESCO IOC Self Driven Capacity Development programme focuses on harnessing the self-drive of directors of marine and coastal science institutes to break the spiral of non-sustainable dependence on external donor. Two Advanced Leadership Workshops for head's of marine institutions and senior role models were held ( Maputo , Mozambique in 2005; and Zanzibar , Tanzania in 2006) for Eastern Africa . A third for Western Africa was held in Libreville , Gabon in March 2007. National workshops on modeling applications were organized in Mozambique , Kenya and Tanzania in March 2007. These were followed by a regional proposal writing workshop for senior scientist in Mombasa , Kenya in April 2007. The workshop provided training to principle investigators and programme managers within marine and coastal institutes on how to write proposal and bids for funding.

Details of the programme are available at www.ioc-cd.org

Heads of institutions at their meeting in Zanzibar, Tanzania