Nigeria has been elected as the Chairman of the Governing Council of the African Regional Institute for Geospatial Information Science and Technology (AFRIGIST) during the institute’s 55th council meeting held at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State.
The Surveyor General of the Federation, Surv. Abuduganiyu Adebomehin, representing the Nigerian government, will lead the council for the next two years.
This significant election highlights Nigeria’s leadership in advancing geospatial information science and technology across Africa. It also reflects the country’s dedication to fostering regional collaboration in this critical field.
During the meeting, the council also approved the admission of the Republic of Liberia as a new member and established a statutory committee that includes representatives from all member states.
In his acceptance speech, Surv. Adebomehin expressed his commitment to ensuring a successful tenure and acknowledged the outgoing chairman from Ghana for his service. He pledged to uphold the institute’s principles and, with the cooperation of member countries and the Nigerian government, to improve infrastructure to better serve students and faculty.
AFRIGIST, a bilingual inter-governmental institution, now comprises nine member states with Liberia’s admission. The other members include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria (the host country), and Senegal. The institute, which holds full diplomatic status in Nigeria, is open to all African countries for membership.
