Luanda — A memorandum of understanding for the implementation, operationalization, and expansion of the Drought Combat Project Platform was recently signed, in Luanda, by two national institutions and the Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management (SASSCAL).

A press release to which ANGOP had access to on Wednesday, in Luanda, indicates that two national institutions are the National Space Program Management Office (GGPEN) and the National Institute of Meteorology and Geophysics (INAMET).

The memorandum was signed by the representative of GGPEN, Zolana Rui João, the representative of INAMET, João de Sousa Afonso, while SASSCAL was represented by the executive director, Nelago Indongo.

It states that the institutional cooperation aims at sharing data and developing products and services, applications, and platforms that support the Government's objectives within the framework of climate change programs and sustainable soil management.

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The document states that the institutions will share satellite, climate and environmental data, model development, products and services, as well as drought forecasting systems.

Furthermore, it also foresees the training and technical capacity building of national specialists, joint research and scientific dissemination, and the integration of the platform into regional and continental networks.

The Platform to Support Decision-Making on Drought Relief Policies was launched in June 2025 by the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Mass Media (MINTTICS), developed by GGPEN in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and funded by the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

It constitutes a significant advance in the use of science, technology and spatial data in the service of public policies, with a special focus on the provinces most affected by drought, such as Cunene, Huíla and Namibe.

It should be noted that SASSCAL is an initiative of the Governments of Angola, Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Germany, in response to the challenges of climate change.

The institution aims to stimulate innovative teaching and research programs related to global change topics in Southern Africa.