of geocra-
e greatest
resources,
necessary
ig techno-
our mind.
onal, sub-
iat of the
countries
tograp hic
or resour-
surveying
which are
although
nal needs;
come un
tively. In
neet basic
ral Africa
ch come
n, all the
ably cater
‘economies.
mp RA Asi
t i e t
LES ER TEEN voe cit Men eret en uri etie ot icc
Central Africa
Category “a” Category ''b" Category "'c''
1. Cameroun 1. Central African 1. Gabon
Republic
2. Zaire 2. Rwanda 2. Chad
3. Mozambique 3. Angola
North Africa
1. Algeria
2. Libya
u, Ww
3. Tunisia S S
4. Egypt = =
5. Sudan
6. Morocco
It does not necessarily mean that the institutions which are categorized as fairly or well deve-
loped achieve the same level of sophistication in surveying and mapping as in the developed
countries of the world. Most of them have had to perform under difficult conditions resulting
from inadequate modern equipment such as stereoplotters, theodolites and electro-magnetic
distance measurers for provision of ground controls, Their low rating with similar institutions in
the developed countries of the world is also connected with inadequate number of personnel with
the right technological training. Some of these demerits can be traced to the rather meagre bud-
getary provisions which the governments make available for the development of their national
surveying and mapping, including remote sensing institutions, They mostly represent centres of
operations of the colonial masters and after independence have been able to put only a few bricks
on the foundation already laid through meagre resources made available to them by the govern-
ments, The institutions in the second category have rema ined stagnated due to the low premium
which the governments place on the profession of surveying and mapping and are therefore stif-
led of resources to nurture them. Those in the embryonic stages are still to see the light of day
because enough efforts are not being made by the governments to bring about their birth. | since-
rely appeal to our African governments to, place a higher premium on these institutions so as to
enable them make greater contributions to the planning,development and rational utilisation of
our natural endowments for the benefit of our people.
In the desicipline of remote sensing, only a few out of the 22 member States of the African
Remote Sensing Council have national focal points where remote sensing activities in their
countries are co-ordinated. As a matter of fact, the applications of remote sensing to resource
development is undertaken at national level mostly by foreigners who work on grant-aided pro-
jects. A foundation which has been laid through the implementation of such projects is often
never built upon because of lack of manpower to continue the practice after those projects have
terminated.
At subregional level, there are only two institutions established to provide surveying and map-
ping services to nationals of the contracting parties of the institutions concerned. The first of
these institutions was established in 1972 at lle-Ife, Nigeria, by the ECA to provide training for
operators, in photogrammetry at technicians’ and technologists’ levels and has recently expanded
its training programme to include introductory courses in remote sensing and photo-interpreta-
tion. The other, which was also established by the ECA for the Eastern and Southern Africa sub-
region, is a specialized institution primarily commissioned to provide specialized services in
surveying and mapping which are beyond the means of its individual member States. In the field
of remote sensimg, 5 training and user-assistance centres form part of the package of the African
Remote Sensing Programme which the ECA initiated in 1975, For one reason or another, only 2
of them are functioning as regional centres and are able to cater for a large number of the remote
sensing needs of their member States.
182
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BESTE Sx in Bele d = gis A rm TUTO es zm
Coda e m a e e Te m EEE es CT, ch
EVO AE Te nt SE s
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SE a
ETE HERR
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