The Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA) brings together more than 40 marine related institutions from twenty-five countries in Africa (Algeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroon, Comoros, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Egypt, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic of Tanzania, Togo, and Tunisia). With the support of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO and the Government of Flanders (Kingdom of Belgium) the network strives to address the challenges faced in ensuring that ocean and coastal data and information generated in national, regional and global programmes are readily available to a wide range of users in an easily understandable format.
The earlier phases of ODINAFRICA enabled the participating member states to get access to data available in other data centres worldwide, develop skills for manipulation of data and preparation of data and information products, and develop infrastructure for archival, analysis and dissemination of the data and information products. The member states also developed further the African network of sea level stations, bringing the number of operational tide gauges along the African coast to more than 40.
The links below provide details of evolution of the network in the period 1989 - 2013:
1989 - 1996: RECOSCIX-WIO (Focus on Information Management, and limited to Eastern Africa, with 7 countries participating: Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, Tanzania)
1997 - 1999: ODINAFRICA-I (ODINEA AND RECOSCIX-CEA). – (Information Management extended to West Africa with the establishment of Regional Dispatch Centre at CRO, Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire; Development of data management capacity introduced in Eastern Africa).
2000– 2003: ODINAFRICA – II (Focus on data and information management; 20 participating countries from all regions of Africa; basic training and equipment provided.)
2004– 2008: ODINAFRICA-III (Focus on data and information management + coastal observations; 25 participating countries; tide gauges installed at 8 locations, pilot products development – including the African Marine Atlas)
2009– 2013: ODINAFRICA-IV (The current phase will focus on strengthening the Pan-African network of National Oceanographic Data and Information Centres - NODCs, and marine related institutions as a sustained mechanism for application of data, information and products for marine and coastal management in Africa).
