The EGNOS -Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO) has been officially launched

The SAFIR (Satellite navigation services for AFrIcan Region) project which is part of the Africa-EU long term strategic partnership to enhance safety in air transport and whose global objective is to build capacity within African ACP countries for the future deployment of GNSS/EGNOS in the region is pleased to announce the official launching ceremony of the EGNOS-Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO) and the laying of the first stone of its future offices Building.

The ceremony took place in Dakar on the 3rd of March 2015 in the presence of Mr Matthias Petschke, Director, EU Satellite Navigation Programmes, Mrs Karolina Stasiak, from UE Delegation in Sénégal and Mr Amadou Ousmane Guittèye, Director General of ASECNA.
The ceremony was attended by high ranking officials from the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), the African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC) , the Agence Nationale de l’Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie (ANACIM) , the Aéroports du Sénégal (ADS) and the Local Authorities.

Opening the ceremony, Mr Ladislaus MATINDI, Director of the JPO, appreciated the contribution of the programme Stakeholders and their invaluable support to the EGNOS Programme. He reiterated the JPO commitment to ensure EGNOS is implemented in Africa in a coordinated and efficient manner.

On his side, Mr Matthias Petschke, EU Satellite Navigation Programmes Director,stated: Satellite navigation can bring huge societal benefits, be it in transport, in agriculture or land management. Satellite based augmentation systems in particular, like EGNOS, can bring enormous social and economic benefits. I attach therefore great importance to the setting up of the EGNOS Africa Joint Programme Office and am particularly pleased to see this team of African experts who have extensive experience and knowledge to support the development of an African satellite based augmentation system.

Delivering his speech, Mr Guittèye, Director General of ASECNA, stated that “the first mission of the JPO is to ensure Africa has developed adequate competencies and then to coordinate the implementation of the development and of the deployment of GNSS/EGNOS services and applications in the Continent. The EGNOS-Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO) is a pan-African entity that acts for the benefit of Africa and supports Stakeholders in their GNSS/EGNOS strategy, developments and implementation”.