Assessment of the Geodetic Infrastructure and Human Capacity in Africa

This report presents the findings of Work Package 2 of the "Building the Foundation for Geodetic Excellence in Africa" project, funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) through the Africa-UK Physics Partnership. The assessment was conducted collaboratively by the Technical University of Kenya (TUK), the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory / Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO/HartRAO), the University of Manchester, the United Nations Global Geodetic Centre of Excellence (UN-GGCE), Ghana Space Science and Technology, and the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat of Uganda.

Geodesy, the science of accurately measuring the Earth's shape, orientation in space, and gravity field, underpins a wide range of applications critical to sustainable development, including precision agriculture, climate monitoring, disaster risk reduction, navigation, and land administration. Despite its importance, the state of geodetic infrastructure across Africa had not been comprehensively documented. This report addresses that gap.

The assessment was carried out through a desktop review, targeted site visits, and two structured questionnaires administered to geodetic professionals across the continent: one focusing on physical and computational infrastructure, and the other on human capacity. Key topics covered include:

• GNSS/CORS networks: distribution, ownership, service charges, compliance with international standards, and reference datums in use across African nations.
• Space geodesy infrastructure: status of VLBI, Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR), and DORIS stations on the continent.
• Geodetic reference frames: national, regional (e.g., AFREF, EAFREF, WAFREF, NAFREF, CAFREF, SAFREF), and global (ITRF/WGS84) systems in use.
• Human capacity: education and training provision, professional certification, software and instrument proficiency, and priority training needs.

Key findings include that approximately 89% of African countries have Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS), with 91% government-operated and the majority providing free services. Africa currently hosts only one fully operational VLBI station (HartRAO, South Africa) and three DORIS network stations. The top-identified training priorities are CORS installation, maintenance, and operation; GNSS network design and data processing; geodetic reference systems; geoid modelling; and space geodesy techniques (VLBI, SLR, LLR, DORIS). For a summary of the findings, please see the accompanying briefing note. 

The results of this assessment directly inform the next phase of the "Building the Foundation for Geodetic Excellence in Africa" project, which will plan the deployment of new geodetic infrastructure and targeted capacity-building workshops across the continent.