The Honourable Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Chief Uche Nnaji, has re-echoed the Federal Government’s commitment to harnessing geospatial intelligence as a vital tool for governance, economic revitalization, poverty alleviation, and security management in Nigeria.
The Minister, who was represented by the Director General and Chief Executive, National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Dr. Matthew Adepoju, said this at the opening ceremony of the 46th International Conference, Workshop, and Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Cartographic Association (NCA), held at NASRDA’s headquarters in Abuja.
According to him, the conference, themed, “Geospatial Intelligence Mapping for Governance, Poverty Alleviation and Security Management,” aligns closely with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda and highlights the strategic role of cartography, geoinformatics, and geospatial intelligence in addressing Nigeria’s developmental challenges.
The Minister assured that government will continue to support NASRDA and professional bodies such as the NCA in standardizing practices, strengthening collaborations with public and private institutions while ensuring that geospatial solutions directly benefit the Nigerian people.
Commending the leadership of the association, Chief Nnaji expressed confidence that the insights gathered from technical sessions and deliberations will provide government with valuable direction in shaping policies for poverty alleviation, national security as well as producing actionable recommendations to strengthen Nigeria’s cartographic practice.
Speaking in his capacity as Director General of NASRDA, Dr. Adepoju described the conference as significant, recalling that the last year edition hosted by the Federal University of Technology, Minna witnessed his presentation with the prestigious honour of Fellow of the Nigerian Cartographic Association (FNCA).
According to him, it is the pleasure of the Space Agency to be hosting the event for the third time because of the relevance of the downstream sector of Nigeria’s space programme and the centrality of cartography to it.
Dr Adepoju highlighted NASRDA’s contributions to cartography, citing initiatives such as land-use mapping for sustainable development, settlement mapping, carbon sequestration under the UNREDD programme, the UN-SPIDER initiative, and the National Geospatial Data Infrastructure (NGDI).
He also pointed to the ongoing Geo-Referenced Infrastructure and Demographic Data for Development (GRID3) project as an example of how reliable mapping data supports the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Dr. Adepoju urged members of the NCA, industry leaders, research institutions, and universities to deepen collaborations with NASRDA in order to drive industrialization, socio-economic growth, and national security, noting that Nigeria, and indeed Africa, cannot afford to remain on the sidelines of the global space economy.
The President of the Nigerian Cartographic Association (NCA), Prof. Momoh Riliwani, said the theme of the 2025 Conference, was carefully chosen to address contemporary issues of national development.
He explained that a notable highlight of the conference would be the Nigerian Women in Cartography Session, which was designed to create awareness and promote professionalism among women, particularly young females, in the mapping sciences.
Prof. Rilwani added that the Association would also carry out outreach to high schools to sensitise students on the relevance of mapping to national development.
While announcing the return of the highly sought-after Map Competition, he expressed appreciation to GIS Transport for reviving and enhancing the Map Exhibition/Competition, which provides participants with the opportunity to showcase their skills and creativity in cartography.
In his goodwill message, the Royal Father of the Day and Etsu Nupe, His Royal Highness, Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar said he was a map-reading enthusiast and recalled his time in the Army, stating that mapping, lay at the heart of security operations and the resolution of communal crises.
He appreciated the organisers for convening the conference and urged stakeholders and participants to absorb every bit of knowledge to be shared and to apply it afterwards for the collective good of Nigerians.
Below are pictures from the event.
Written by: Ninma Yacim
Editor: Joy Opaluwa
Media and Corporate Communications
