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A gateway to data and information on Africa's social, economic, territorial and environmental development, developed by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission.
This platform features Joint Research Centre (JRC) data, tools, partnerships, and stories developed in-house or with African and international partners. It provides a single entry-point to the wealth of European Commission knowledge on Africa and aims to support the European Union (EU) objective of deepening the partnership with Africa.

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Regional Centres of Excellence for the Green Transition Program

This platform serves as the Knowledge and Information hub for the Regional Centers of Excellence program. It underpins its Transversal component helping foster knowledge exchange and strengthen the science-policy interface, covering the priority topics linked to the Green Transition:

Biodiversity & Forest
Water
Agroecology
Ocean
Climate Change Resilience
News
Our most recent posts
Transversal Component Biodiversity & Forest
ArcX Cross-Regional workshop on Biodiversity and Forests
Workshop

The ArcX cross-regional workshop on Biodiversity and Forests took place from 20 to 24 April 2026 at the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) in Ispra, Italy. Bringing together key partners from across Africa and Europe, the workshop provided an opportunity to take stock of progress, strengthen collaboration and agree on priorities for the next phase of the programme.

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Biodiversity & Forest
RCMRD Launches the Biodiversity Outlook for Eastern & Southern Africa (BOESA)

The Regional Centre of Excellence (RCoE) for Biodiversity, Forests and Seascape Ecosystem Management, hosted by the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), has launched the Biodiversity Outlook for Eastern & Southern Africa (BOESA), a flagship regional platform bringing together geospatial intelligence, biodiversity data, scientific knowledge, stories and practical tools to support biodiversity conservation and sustainable development across Eastern and Southern Africa.

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Ocean
OPERA Launches First Online Course to Strengthen Ocean Forecasting Capacity Worldwide

The OPERA (Ocean Prediction Enhancement in the Regions of Africa) project has launched its first online course OPERA MOOC Set 1: Fundamentals of Ocean Forecasting, developed as part of its Capacity Development Activities. Developed in Africa and designed for a global audience, the course aims to expand access to ocean forecasting knowledge and strengthen capacities in ocean science, climate resilience and sustainable coastal management.

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Biodiversity & Forest
From the Grassroots to Conserving Africa's Biodiversity

From 9–12 June 2026, the Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) hosted the Regional Geospatial Forum for Inclusive Biodiversity Action in Nairobi, Kenya, under the EU-funded ArcX Programme. The forum brought together Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs), women, youth, governments, and conservation partners to explore how geospatial technologies can strengthen biodiversity conservation and support the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF). Participants shared experiences o

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Biodiversity & Forest
RCMRD Wins Award for Geospatial Innovation in Conservation

The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) was awarded the 2026 Esri Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award, a distinction granted to only a small number of organisations from Esri's global user community each year.

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Biodiversity & Forest
BIODIVERSITY AND FOREST RCoEs HIGHLIGHTS AND UPDATE FIRST SEMESTER 2026

A newly released update from Biodiversity & Forest Regional Centres of Excellence (RCoEs) offers a fresh look at how their work is unfolding across Africa in 2026, inviting readers to explore the progress and stories behind their efforts.  

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Discover the latest datasets added or updated
Transversal Component Climate Change Resilience
GHSL - Resident Population - 100 m
EC-JRC
EC-JRC
This data represents the distribution of human population between 1975 and 2030 in 5 year intervals over cells of 100x100 m size. It derives from the GHS-POP - R2023A. Residential population estimates between 1975 and 2020 in 5-year intervals and projections to 2025 and 2030 derived from CIESIN GPWv4.11 were disaggregated from census or administrative units to grid cells, informed by the distribution, volume, and classification of built-up as mapped in the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL) global layer per corresponding epoch. The dataset is part the Global Human Settlement Layer, that provide global, high-resolution, multi-temporal gridded data on built-up environment (built-up surface, built-up volume, residential vs. non-residential function), resident population, and settlement classification by the UN-recommended methodology “degree of urbanisation”. The complete information about the GHSL main products can be found in the GHSL Data Package 2023 report.
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Agroecology
Heatwaves (1981-2015)
EC-JRC
Africa is considered one of the most vulnerable regions to weather and climate variability. Extreme events such as heat waves have important impacts on public health, water supplies, food security, and more generally on both regional economies and natural ecosystems. A prolonged period of hot days can feed wildfires, inhibit crop yields, or produce algae blooms with consequences on lakes oxygenation and, ultimately, fish mortality. Understanding of temperature extreme regime in Africa is necessary to assess the impacts of climate change on human and natural systems and to develop suitable adaptation and mitigation strategies at country level. A way to quantify heath waves is to use the Heat Wave Magnitude Index daily (HWMId). The HWMId is defined as the maximum magnitude of the heat waves in a year. Computed annually, this index takes into account both the duration and the intensity of extreme temperature events, and enables a comparison between heat waves with different timing and location. This dataset presents the number of years in the period 1981-2018 with a HWMId equal or superior to 4. It gives a general idea of the spatial distribution of heat waves with moderate intensity.
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Power plants
EC-JRC
This dataset shows the African power plants and their installed capacity in MegaWatt (MW) and generation type. It includes thermal plants (coal, gas, oil, nuclear, biomass, waste, geothermal) and renewables (hydro, wind, solar). Each power plant is geolocated and entries contain information on plant capacity and generation.
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Geothermal Power Plants
British Geological Survey
Shapefile showing the location of powerplants along the East-African rift system, derived from the World Bank Transmission and distribution: Energy Atlas (ARDERNE, C. 2017) This dataset is part of the LEAP-RE project collection. For more information visit https://www.leap-re.eu/
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Agroecology
Postharvest loss estimates
EC-JRC
Substantial crop losses occur at various stages along the postharvest value chain. Losses result from poor handling and storage practices combined with limited awareness, infrastructure, and knowledge. The African Postharvest Losses Information System (APHLIS) (www.aphlis.net) is the foremost international effort to collect, analyse and disseminate data on postharvest losses of cereal grains in sub-Saharan Africa. The cumulative % loss in weight incurred during harvesting, drying, threshing/shelling, winnowing, household-level storage, transport and market-level storage for the selected crop, location, and year is presented. Complimentary data sets are collected and used to convert this % loss into absolute loss values in tonnes, US$ and nutrients, along with the nutritional and financial impacts of these losses by province and country. Understanding the magnitude of postharvest loss, the points in the value chain where losses occur, and the causes and impacts of loss helps decision-makers formulate effective policies and invest in successful postharvest loss programmes.
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Biodiversity & Forest Climate Change Resilience
Tropical Moist Forests
EC-JRC
Tropical moist forests have a huge environmental value. They play an important role in biodiversity conservation, the terrestrial carbon cycle, hydrological regimes, indigenous population subsistence, and human health (1-5), and are increasingly recognized as an essential element of any strategy to mitigate climate change. Deforestation, degradation, and fragmentation compromise the functioning of tropical forests as an ecosystem, leading to biodiversity loss, reduced carbon storage capacity, and an increased risk of viral disease outbreaks. Accurate characterization of changes in tropical moist forests is therefore needed to support conservation policies and to better quantify their contribution to global carbon fluxes. This dataset comprises the following map layers: Undisturbed tropical moist forest: Shows the coverage of undisturbed tropical moist forests remaining at the end of the year 2019. Deforestation year map: Shows where deforestation occurred over three decades (between 1982 and 2020) and indicates the year when the forest cover was deforested for the first time (followed or not by regrowth). Degradation year map: Shows where degradation occurred over three decades (between 1982 and 2020) and indicates the year when the forest was degraded for the first time (and remained degraded up to 2020). Transition map: Captures the dynamics of changes in tropical moist forests between the initial observation period (1990) and the end of the year 2020. Source: European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) - Tropical Moist Forests (TMF)
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Sustainable Development Goals
Select a goal to browse the related maps, tools and stories.
GOAL 05: Gender equality
SDG Goal 5

Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

GOAL 10: Reduced inequalities
SDG 10

Reduce inequality within and among countries

GOAL 11: Sustainable cities and communities
SDG 11

Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

GOAL 12: Responsible consumption and production
SDG 12

Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

GOAL 13: Climate action
SDG 13

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts (Acknowledging that the United Nations…
GOAL 14: Life below water
SDG 14

Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development
GOAL 15: Life on land
SDG 15

Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests…
GOAL 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions
SDG 16

Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for…
GOAL 17: Partnerships for the goals
SDG 17

Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable…
GOAL 01: No poverty
SDG 1

End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

GOAL 02: Zero hunger
SDG 2

End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

GOAL 03: Good health and well-being
SDG 3

Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

GOAL 04: Quality education
SDG 4

Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for…
GOAL 06: Clean water and sanitation
SDG 6

Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

GOAL 07: Affordable and clean energy
SDG 7

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

GOAL 08: Decent work and economic growth
SDG 8

Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and…
GOAL 09: Industry, innovation and infrastructure
SDG 9

Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster…
Topics
Select a topic to browse related maps, tools and stories.