logistic support and backstopping of externally-funded remote sensing projects, have played a
dynamic role in kindling the interests of member States in participating in the centres, in spite of
the hard times they had been facing as regards their weak economies. Needless to mention the
secretariat's several sensitization campaign missions to the cou ntries of member States for mem-
bership drive which are gradually yielding the desired fruits.
The ECA remains convinced that appropriate technology and its applications to the develop-
ment of African member States' natural resources hold the key to their salvation and economic
independence (sovereignty). Its hands are on the plough and it will never look back until the ob-
jectives have been achieved.
The African Remote Sensing Council, as the principal organ to implement the African progra-
mme in remote sensing, is handicapped principally by lack of funds and inadequate technical
personne! to discharge the duties entrusted to it. Its resources are derived mainly from member
States’ contributions to the budgets of the Council. Although the membership has risen to twen-
ty-two (22), it is disheartening to note that, for the past three years or so, not more than three (3)
of these pay part or the whole of their annual contributions. As a result, the activities of the
Council are mostly limited to convening the meetings of the “Conference of Plenipotentiaries of
the Remote Sensing Council'', six of which had been held to date. Its co-ordinating role of the ac-
tivities of the Regional Remote Sensing Centres (RRSCs) has resultantly been affected for the
reasons given above. However, when resources permit, the Secretary General of the Council,
had participated in some of the meetings of the Regional Management Committees which are the
governing boards of the Centres.
One cannot see much of activities in remote sensing going on at the headquarters of the
Council in Bamako. This is understandable!
4.2 Remote Sensing Activities at Subregional level
When we talk about remote sensing activities in Africa, the mind goes immediately to the
pre occupations of the Remote Sensing Centres which form part of the package within African
Remote Sensing Programme. Five centres at subregional level were contemplated at the time of
establishing the programme in 1975, their locations being guided, among other things, by the
existing infrastructural facilities. Four of these were already serving national needs in remote
sensing and telecommunications namely, the ERTS-Zaire, and the Intelsat stations at Malindi
(Kenya) and Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), and the National Remote Sensing Centre, Cairo
(Egypt). The fifth contemplated at ile Ife (Nigeria) was based on the iact that a Regional
Centre for Training in Aerial Surveys including photogrammetry, photo-interpretation and aero-
geophysics could easily add remote sensing to complement its range of activities in resources
surveys.
The programme was not to end in just establishing these training centres but envisaged the
installation of three ground receiving and processing stations of satellite data. The Centres at
Nairobi, Ouagadougou and Kinshasa were to have the stations co-located for beneficial purposes
to their training activities and distribution of the archived satellite imageries to the sundry
users.
In spite of intensive sensitization campaigns, often led by representative(s) of the Econamic
Commission for Africa, for membership drive to achieve true 'regionalization' of these centres,
and to arouse the awareness of the member States on the potentials of remote sensing techniques
for resources exploration and exploitation, only the centres at Nairobi, lle-Ife and Ouagadougou
can be said to have achieved that Status. The other two are still functioning as national centres
even though the host countries are willing to make the facilities available in their centres to
nationals from neighbouring potential participating countries on a subregional basis.
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