October 12thOctober 16th

OPERA Annual Workshop 2026 & African DTO Workshop

Novotel Cotonou Orisha, Benin

OPERA Workshop 2026

12-14 October 2026

OPERA Workshop 2026

The second annual OPERA Workshop took place from 12 to 14 October 2026 at the Novotel Orisha Hotel in Cotonou, Benin, organised by Mercator Ocean International in collaboration with local hosts: the University of Abomey-Calavi – UNESCO International Chair of Mathematical Physics and Applications, the Benin Institute for Halieutic and Oceanographic Research (IRHOB), and the Benin Environment and Education Society (BEES ONG).

The meeting brought together OPERA partners from Africa and Europe, as well as relevant regional bodies and organisations, to announce new African partners, technical assistance partners, and planned developments within the project. The workshop also presented future opportunities for collaboration open to both African and European communities, established links with other relevant programmes, and facilitated discussions to gather feedback on key project activities.

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Implementing DTO for Africa: From Vision to Implementation

15-16 October 2026

Implementing DTO for Africa: From Vision to Implementation

The Africa DTO Workshop took place from 15 to 16 October 2026 at the Novotel Orisha Hotel in Cotonou, Benin, following the OPERA Workshop. It was organised by the African Ocean Decade Taskforce in collaboration with the OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Centre.

The workshop combined expert plenary presentations with facilitated breakout sessions to foster a shared understanding of Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) concepts, explore the existing DTO landscape in Africa, identify priority pilot projects, and define key areas for future development.

The workshop also laid the groundwork for an African DTO technical architecture, governance framework, capacity development, and resource mobilisation, contributing to the development of a unified African DITTO Implementation Framework.

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Partners


UNESCO IOCAFRICA

Ocean Prediction Enhancement in Regions of Africa - OPERA

Enhancing scientific and digital capabilities in ocean monitoring and forecasting to support the sustainable management of marine resources and promote human well-being.
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OceanPrediction DCC -  Mission & Vision

The OceanPrediction Decade Collaborative Centre (OceanPrediction DCC) is a coordinating body under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030). OceanPrediction DCC works to advance global ocean prediction capabilities by strengthening collaboration, capacity development, ocean knowledge sharing, and engagement across regions and communities.

Through partnerships with regional teams, scientific institutions, stakeholders, and youth networks, OceanPrediction DCC supports a more connected and accessible ocean prediction community worldwide.
unoceanprediction.org