Participants at the 2026 IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society (GRSS) West Africa Summer School have stressed the need for government to embark on critical studies on how geospatial artificial intelligence (GeoAI), remote sensing and Earth observation can help address environmental and climate challenges in Africa.
They made the call at the end of a conference which took place at the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR) Lagos, from 31st October to 4th November, 2026.
The conference dubbed “Summer School”, drew participants from the NNPCL, NGC, Ministry of Environment, Housing, Computer Scientists, Engineers, among others.
They explored opportunities for learning, collaboration, innovation, and professional development, especially on the transformative potential of geospatial technologies, and remote sensing in addressing some of the most pressing environmental and climate challenges facing the West African region.
The gathering brought together industry professionals, researchers, and students with a shared commitment to advancing science and technology for humanity.
The key sponsors of the workshop was the IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Society, drawing distinguished academics including Prof. Lizhe Wang, Prof. Saurabh Prasad, Dr. Anabella Ferral, Dr. Andongma Tende, Ms. Temitope Ajayi, Mr. Ifeanyi Ezealaji, Dr. Victor Okorondu, Dr. Samuel Dekolo, and Dr. Richmon Akwasi Nsiah who provided the knowledge to broaden the expertise, experiences, and insight of the participants.
The host institution, the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research (NIOMR), as well as industry partners, Geospatial Research Limited and Huawei Technologies Nigeria, provided support and facilities which made the training a huge success.
The General Chair of the event, Engr. Oto-Obong John Effiong, and Chair of the IEEE Nigeria Section, Prof. Ifeyinwa Achumba, spelt out the ground rules, encouraging participants to remain focused through the discussions.
Delivering the keynote address, Engr. Abdulhafis Gbolahan, FNSE, Permanent Secretary of the Lagos State Ministry of Housing, spoke vividly on how urban development and increasing heat exposure affect housing and environmental conditions in Lagos State, while Dr. Adongma Wanduku who the first technical lecture, “Fundamentals of Remote Sensing and Earth Observation”, introduced the paerticipants to the use of remotely sensed data in environmental monitoring, climate action, weather forecasting and disease control, and explained how these data can inform decisions.
Also, Mrs. Temitope Ajayi of the University of Basilicata, Italy, took the participants on an excursion on how her background in electronics and computer science in Nigeria and her participation in an academic programme sparked her interest in remote sensing.
Dr. Saurabh Prasad delivered a lecture “From Observation to Understanding: AI and Earth Observation”, explaining how artificial intelligence (AI) can help process and interpret remotely sensed data and turn observations into information that supports environmental decision-making.
Engr. Peter Magbo, Chair of the Local Organising Committee, briefed participants on travel and accommodation for the in-person sessions, while Engr. Sandra Nwokoye encouraged the participants to stay curious and apply what they learned to practical problems.
Ifeanyi Peter Ezealaji, one of the key resource persons, led a hands-on session on how QGIS, a geographic information system (GIS) used to analyse and visualise spatial data.
At the end of the academic sessions, participants practised acquiring and importing geospatial data into QGIS, merging datasets, cleaning records and removing unwanted data, clipping datasets to defined geographical boundaries, working with coordinate reference systems, as well as organising and processing spatial data for further analysis.
Equally lined up as part of the practical training, the participants embarked on a guided tour to the Nigerian Institute for Oceanography and Marine Research to secure hands-on knowledge on how its research and monitoring support the study and management of marine environments.
