Data scarcity in Africa
Data scarcity in Africa

Data scarcity in Africa

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TL;DR

  • Africa is the fastest-growing emerging market with its abundant natural resources and expanding manufacturing scene. Many of the raw materials needed for the green transition are found there.
  • Africa is considered one of the least prepared and most vulnerable regions to climate change. Still, it lacks the data to effectively plan and prepare for the effects, threatening the stability of global markets and food security.
  • The proper environmental data infrastructure will help Africa collect, standardize, process, and analyze data to safeguard its people, value chains, and the planet.

Data availability across Africa

Africa is considered one of the least prepared and most vulnerable regions to climate change, and its population is projected to reach 25% of the world's population by 2050. It is also considered a data desert due to the significant lack of data, especially on the environmental conditions of the continent. This lack of data can hinder decision-making, research, and analysis, making it challenging to understand and address issues effectively.

Data collection across Africa has increased in recent years, but it can be difficult to obtain, process, and understand without domain-specific expertise.

Earth observation

There are both government and commercial satellites collecting data over Africa. Government missions usually provide the data they collect to the public, whereas commercial providers charge for access but may have a better resolution or the ability to request specific data. Some examples from the public side include:

  • Landsat (United States): Currently on its 9th mission (launched in 2021), Landsat is a collaboration between NASA and the US Geological Survey to collect environmental data. Landsat satellites capture imagery in multiple spectral bands (visible, near-infrared, short-wave infrared, and thermal infrared) to enable the analysis of various Earth surface features and processes.
  • Terra, Aqua, and Aura (United States): The three flagship satellites of NASA’s Earth Observing System (EOS) program of 18 satellites. All three satellites have long passed their designed life expectancy.
  • Sentinel (Europe): Operated by the European Space Agency (ESA) as part of the Copernicus program to provide data for environmental monitoring, land management, and climate change studies. There are currently six Sentinel satellites in operation, each designed to collect specific types of data.
  • Meteosat (Europe): Operated by the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), Meteosat monitors weather patterns and environmental conditions over Europe, Africa, and parts of the Atlantic Ocean.

Of the 55 members of the African Union, many nations have space programs (at least 21), and 13 have launched their own satellites. In 2023, the African Union Commission launched the African Space Agency (AfSA) to coordinate space technology on the continent.

Meteorological

Weather data across Africa is generally sparse and unreliable. It has just one-eighth the density of weather stations recommended by the World Meteorological Organization, and of those, only 22% meet its reporting standards. This lack of meteorological data makes early warning and detection of extreme weather events very difficult, especially as weather grows more unpredictable in the face of a changing climate.

⚠️
Germany has over 200 active weather stations across the country compared to Mali, a country three times its size, which only has 13.

Much of the meteorological data for Africa isn’t available online and must be requested (often in person) through the country's meteorological office or the agency that has collected it.

Data access initiatives

  • The Trans-African Hydro-Meteorological Observatory (TAHMO): Started in 2007 with the goal of placing 20,000 stations in schools across Africa, currently at 500 in 21 countries.
    • Data is available for free for research and governmental applications, with commercial use decided “on a case-by-case basis” (fees depend on the coverage requested).
    • They also sell stations to those seeking weather data.
  • EIS-Africa: Pan-African organization working to improve the use of geospatial and environmental information; based in S Africa.
    • They have a website, but it doesn’t appear safe to view - you run into that a lot with African websites, especially government-run ones.
  • Digital Earth Africa: Free and open satellite data.
    • Collaborated with World Economic Forum on the 2021 report “Unlocking the potential of Earth Observation to address Africa’s critical challenges.”
  • Africa Knowledge Platform: EU Science Hub initiative w/ 264 geospatial datasets.
    • Seems to be mostly trends like average rainfall and general mapping of agricultural lands and biodiversity hotspots.
  • OpenStreetMap: Crowdsourced mapping initiative that is very active in Africa, mostly in urban areas.
    • Youthmapper is an OSM community made up of mostly college students—very active in Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, and a few other African countries.

African supply chains

There are many supply chains across Africa, with active trade ongoing between nations and with external partners like the European Union. Trade between the EU and Africa reached €280 billion in 2019, rising 20% between 2016 and 2019, with about 28% of Africa’s exports going to the EU (7%. in the other direction). While African exports were primarily raw materials in the past, manufactured goods such as textiles and agri-food products, machinery, and transportation equipment are becoming more common.

Only 18% of exports from African countries go to other African countries. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) aims to increase this by reducing the cost of cross-border trade between African countries.

Agriculture and food

Most agriculture goes towards export, and 82% of basic food like wheat is imported. 60% of people in Africa experience food insecurity.

  • Cocoa: Ivory Coast and Ghana produce 2/3 of the world’s cacao.
  • Palm oil: Palm oil trees are native to West Africa. African countries produced about 3.3 million tonnes of palm oil in 2022/2023. Ukraine normally produces 60% of the world’s sunflower oil, and the war has spiked palm oil prices. This is putting pressure on Africa to produce more palm oil.
  • Cotton: 8% of global cotton production comes from Africa, with more than 3.5 million farmers (mostly smallholders) depending on it for their livelihood. More than 90% of cotton is exported as raw material. Egypt and Tanzania send cotton to Europe, but most African cotton goes to Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, Vietnam, and China (assuming for textile production).
  • Coffee and tea: About 13% of global coffee production comes from African countries like Ethiopia, Uganda, and Ivory Coast.

Specific use cases for environmental data in agriculture:

  • Crop type and condition assessment
  • Pest and disease prevention and control
    • Airborne and satellite images can be used (<5m resolution is best), but early detection is challenging (damage is usually done by the time they can be detected). Can see the extent of damage and use the info to manage crops moving forward.
    • Sometimes the damage is visible to satellites before the human eye can see it. Healthy plants reflect near-infrared radiation in a very specific way.
    • With high enough resolution, remote sensing data can help with the direct application of fungicides/pesticides and remove the need for broad spraying.
    • Requires image classification expertise to be usable. Need to understand what different diseases and pests look like in the images and translate that into usable maps.
  • Soil analysis (type, quality, moisture content, etc)
  • Planning planting and harvesting

Mining and minerals

Africa has 30% of the world’s mineral reserves. In 2019, Africa produced 1 billion tonnes of minerals at a value of $406 billion (5.5% of global production). More than two-thirds are produced in South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria, Angola, and Libya.

Source:
Source: Al Jazeera, Feb 2022

Nature and conservation

Africa is home to the most abundant population of large mammals on the planet and supports more than 2,000 Key Biodiversity Areas. These unique and iconic natural assets make Africa a large eco-tourism draw, which in turn is a large influencing reason for governments to fund conservation efforts. The industry employs 3.6 million people and, as of 2019, generates over $29 billion annually.

  • NaturAfrica: EU Green Deal strategy for biodiversity conservation in Africa, launched in 2022. Will identify key landscapes for conservation.

Challenges

  • Conflicts and cross-border issues
    • Water resource management is an international relations issue: 90% of freshwater in Africa crosses multiple borders.
    • Because Africa is so large and populations are so spread out, governments can struggle to control their borders. Local supply chains are often disrupted by civil conflicts and political unrest.
  • Poor logistics
    • Railways were built by colonialists to link mines to ports, not countries to countries.
    • 80-90% of freight is transported by road, but Africa has some of the world’s lowest road density, and most are not paved.
    • Waiting times for cargo ships at ports is 2 weeks on average, and handling costs are 50% higher than in other parts of the world.
    • China is building up a lot of infrastructure in Africa. In 2020, 31% of all infrastructure projects in Africa were owned by China.
  • High trade costs
    • African countries often use US dollars rather than local currencies when purchasing from each other, and the conversion rates drive up prices.
    • If a truck driver can’t count on being able to get a job to cover the cost of the journey back, they will charge double.
  • An informal economy
    • Africa’s informal sector is the largest in the world (81% of all jobs), meaning it is “operating through non-official channels and without government oversight, regulation, or taxation.” The informal market makes it difficult for global businesses to operate in Africa.
    • Informal businesses struggle to get loans to grow because they do not have proper business records.
  • Low electricity access

References

Last updated: May 2023