BWI in Dakar: Adapting our society to climate change

BWI has had the opportunity to discuss with some of the premier institutions in Senegal about adapting our societies to climate change.

BWI’s Head of Programs, Olivier Chazal, had the prized opportunity to discuss with African Development Bank Group and Agence Française de Développement, how services derived from Satellite data like BWI’s (which include hydrological virtual stations) can contribute to adapting modern societies to climate change. Considering how relevant this is in current times, leveraging the use of technology like machine learning in order to reduce the unpredictability becomes highly crucial.

The previous day, Olivier has also had the privilege to have a conversation with Maram Kairé, CEO of Sénégal Space Agency, about potential industrial cooperations. Following that, BWI had the opportunity to make a presentation at Centre De Suivi Écologique, the national environmental monitoring administration of Sénégal, to accelerate basin digitization through the deployment of hydrological virtual stations in the country.

Climate change has a significant impact on both the quantity and quality of continental freshwater for cities, agriculture, and other relevant industries. In addition, climatological consequences like floods and droughts are other important factors. From the perspective of international finance institutions, they are scrutinized very closely.

We would like to personally thank Maylis Denis (Business France Sénégal) and Adeline Verdier (Aerospace Valley) for making discussions like the above happen with institutions that are highly willing to make an impact by financing the deployment and innovation of green/blue solutions.

BWI looks forward to continuing discussions to form a long and fruitful partnership with Sénégal on how to make the best use of earth observation data to adapt our societies to climate change.