Implementing DTO for Africa: From Vision to Implementation

Name: OPERA Annual Workshop 2026
Start: 2026-10-12T09:00:00+01:00
End: 2026-10-16T18:00:00+01:00

WorkshopSummary

The DTO Africa Implementation Workshop (15-16 October, Cotonou, Benin) will bring together African and international experts to co-design the roadmap for developing a coordinated, interoperable, and African-led Digital Twins of the Ocean (DITTO) ecosystem.

Organised within the framework of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the workshop will focus on translating the global DITTO vision into concrete actions that address Africa's priorities. Through collaborative discussions and co-design sessions, participants will explore how digital ocean technologies, real-time observations, numerical modelling, artificial intelligence, and FAIR data principles can support climate resilience, sustainable ocean governance, marine biodiversity conservation, fisheries and aquaculture management, disaster risk reduction, and the growth of the Blue Economy.

The workshop will gather representatives from governments, regional organisations, research institutions, international initiatives, the private sector, development partners, and Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs). Together, they will define the strategic foundations for a federated African digital ocean ecosystem that promotes interoperability, innovation, data sovereignty, and long-term regional ownership.

The outcomes of the workshop will contribute to the development of the African DTOs Implementation Framework (2027–2030) and will be presented at the DITTO Summit 2026.

SpecificObjectives

Define priority African pilot projects addressing regional challenges such as coastal resilience, fisheries and aquaculture, marine biodiversity, ocean forecasting, and climate adaptation.
Develop a shared technical vision for interoperable Digital Twins of the Ocean based on FAIR data principles and existing African digital infrastructure.
Strengthen regional cooperation by promoting collaboration between governments, scientific institutions, regional organisations, international initiatives, and the private sector.
Establish governance principles that support data sharing, ethical use of marine data, institutional leadership, and African data sovereignty.
Identify capacity development priorities to strengthen expertise in digital ocean technologies, marine data management, artificial intelligence, and numerical modelling, with a strong focus on Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPs).
Promote sustainable partnerships by identifying opportunities for collaboration with regional and international programmes and mobilising resources for long-term implementation.
Lay the foundations for the African DITTO Implementation Framework (2027–2030) through a shared roadmap and agreed strategic priorities for future development.

Draft Programme

15-16 October 2026

All times shown are UTC+1

Workshop Objective:

To co-design a practical, African-led implementation roadmap, priority pilot projects, and governance structures for Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTO). To discuss expectations, existing capacities and collect requirements for EDITO for the DITTO summit.

Dates

Oct 15Oct 16

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UNDERSTANDING DTOs WITHIN THE AFRICA LANDSCAPE - PRIORITIES, EXPECTATIONS & EXISTING CAPACITIES

Oct 15, 2026

8:30 AM9:00 AM

Registration & Welcome Coffee

Participant arrival & Networking

Oct 15, 2026

9:00 AM9:30 AM

Opening Session

Day #1 objective: Establish a shared baseline understanding of DTO concepts and assess the current African landscape regarding data, infrastructure, and priority needs. Welcome Remarks: - Host Country - Zacharie Sohou - African Task Force - Hassan Moustahfid & Kwame Koranteng - IOC-UNESCO - Ibukun Adewumi - OPERA - Lillian Diarra Facilitated by Jennifer Veitch

Ibukun ADEWUMI

IOC Sub Commission for Africa and the Adjacent Island States

Lillian DIARRA

Mercator Ocean International

Kwame A. KORANTENG

Africa Ocean Decade Taskforce

Hassan MOUSTAHFID

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration I NOAA

Zacharie SOHOU

IOC - UNESCO

Jennifer VEITCH

South African Environmental Observation Network I SAEON

Oct 15, 2026

9:30 AM10:30 AM

DTO and Africa

- African Task Force & DTO: Vision for this workshop - Hassan Moustahfid & Juliet Hermes - DITTO/EDITO:Overview of DITTO Ocean Decade programme - Victoria Persson - GOOS Africa: Observations in support of Africa’s Digital Twin - Kouadio Affian & Karim Hilmi Facilitated by Kwame Koranteng

Kouadio AFFIAN

University Félix-Houphouët-Boigny

Juliet HERMES

South African Environmental Observation Network I SAEON

Karim HILMI

State Secretariat of Marine Fisheries - SEPM I Morocco

Hassan MOUSTAHFID

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration I NOAA

Victoria PERSSON

Mercator Ocean International

Oct 15, 2026

10:30 AM10:45 AM

Coffee Break

Networking

Oct 15, 2026

10:45 AM12:45 PM

Discussion session #1 - Topic #1: Africa's Current DTO Landscape

- Results from OPERA scoping study on data infrastructures and DTO initiatives in Africa - Joel Ngueuko - OPERA African DTO and EDITO - Victoria Persson - Discussion: Attendee expectations, existing capacities, and how OPERA can support Africa's DTO Facilitated by Lillian Diarra

Lillian DIARRA

Mercator Ocean International

Joel KAMDOUM NGUEUKO

IOC UNESCO

Victoria PERSSON

Mercator Ocean International

Oct 15, 2026

12:45 PM1:45 PM

Lunch

Networking break

Oct 15, 2026

1:45 PM3:30 PM

Discussion session #1 - Topic #2: Africa Case Studies

1- Ghana coast models & digital twins for nature-based solutions - Philip-Neri Jayson-Quashigah 2- Ocean CofE and FUTURO - Agnes Piecyk 3- SOMISANA: From data to impact - Ramontsheng Rapolaki Discussion topic with the audience: Successes, challenges/gaps, priorities, data availability, key institutions, and skill needs. Facilitated by Viviane Koutob

Karim HILMI

State Secretariat of Marine Fisheries - SEPM I Morocco

Philip-Neri JAYSON-QUASHIGAH

University of Ghana

Viviane KOUTOB

Africa & Adjacent Islands Ocean Decade Task Force

Agnes PIECYK

GEOMAR

Ramontsheng RAPOLAKI

South African Weather Service

Oct 15, 2026

3:30 PM4:00 PM

Coffee Break

Networking

Oct 15, 2026

4:00 PM5:30 PM

Discussion Session #2: Requirements for EDITO & DITTO Summit

Interactive Discussion session with the audience, in collaboration with the European Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO) project for collaborative exchange on African regional needs, expectations, opportunities and challenges related to Digital Twins, understanding the requirements/needs in Africa for building/using/designing DTOs. The outcomes of this session will feed into a series of webinars, open to all, organised by EDITO as side event of DITTO Summit 2026 Facilitated by Victoria Persson

Victoria PERSSON

Mercator Ocean International

OPERATIONALIZING THE AFRICAN DTO ARCHITECTURE, GOVERNANCE & SUSTAINABILITY

Oct 16, 2026

9:00 AM9:15 AM

Day #1 Recap and Day #2 Goals

Synthesis of Day 1 consensus and transition into the implementation planning phase Day #2 objective: Define the technical, governance, and capacity frameworks required to adapt existing global ocean prediction architectures (Ocean Prediction DCC/EDITO) into a sovereign, federated African Digital Twin of the Ocean.

Kwame A. KORANTENG

Africa Ocean Decade Taskforce

Hassan MOUSTAHFID

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration I NOAA

Oct 16, 2026

9:15 AM10:30 AM

Discussion Session #3: Data Systems and Infrastructure for DTOs

Interoperability, FAIR Data, and Sovereign Infrastructure: - Panel discussion on barriers to data sharing - African infrastructure & High-Performance Computing (HPC) facilities - FAIR data principles & Digital Twin architecture Facilitated by Jennifer Veitch

Enrique ALVAREZ FANJUL

Mercator Ocean international

Leo CHILOANE

South African Environmental Observation Network I SAEON

Hassan MOUSTAHFID

National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration I NOAA

Lazarus OJIGI

African Regional Institute for Geospatial Information Science & Technology - AFRIGIST

Jennifer VEITCH

South African Environmental Observation Network I SAEON

Oct 16, 2026

10:30 AM11:00 AM

Coffee Break

Networking

Oct 16, 2026

11:00 AM12:30 PM

Discussion Session #4: Governance Models, Funding & Sustainability, Demonstrations/Pilot Projects

Regional Dialogue & Key Questions: - Adapting International Models: What EDITO structures work for Africa's landscape? - Victoria Persson - Avoiding Overlap: Aligning mandates across AU, IOC-UNESCO, and GOOS Africa - Justin Ahanhanzo - Capacity Building: Transitioning from short-term workshops to permanent African-led pipelines for ECOPs - Babette Tchonang - Community Building: How GEMS Ocean can bridge science, policy, and regional conventions - Joana Akrofi - Strategic Alignment: How IOC Africa & regional bodies can strengthen observing networks & blue economy policy - Ibukun Adewumi - Resource Mobilization: Private-sector partnerships and sustained investment strategies Facilitated by Kwame Koranteng

Ibukun ADEWUMI

IOC Sub Commission for Africa and the Adjacent Island States