GMES’s vast potential to serve the African continent is now widely recognised, but has not yet been fully exploited. In this context, the Commission of the African Union, the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States and five Regional Economic Communities of Sub-Saharan Africa called upon the European Union to plan an extension of its GMES initiative to Africa and other ACP countries, through a declaration signed in October 2006 in Maputo, Mozambique.

A specific aim was agreed at drafting and consolidating an Action Plan for:

• the provision of GMES services to African users; and
• the development and strengthening of regional capabilities

In the light of this goal, the European Commission is working together with the Commission of the African Union and the ACP Secretariat to promote this process and are currently developing an Action Plan for the provision of GMES services to Africa.

This Plan is being developed under the responsibility of the EU-AU Informal Joint Experts’ Working Group, set up in the framework of the overall Africa-EU Action Plan.

The Plan is due for approval at the third EU-Africa Summit, foreseen at the end of 2010.

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