SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, 9th Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Today, Tuesday, the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) and Casa África have signed a comprehensive agreement to collaborate in organising activities related to the African continent across various fields including academia, science, training, digitalisation, innovation, and information provision. The agreement, which is initially for a three-year term and renewable, also involves working together to promote projects and disseminate the activities conducted by both parties. The agreement was signed by the president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, and the general director of Casa África, José Segura, at an event that was attended by the scientific coordinator of Involcan, Nemesio Pérez.
Rosa Dávila stated, “Today is a significant day as this agreement will enable us to advance in the management of volcanic hazards in Africa, as well as explore other areas such as geotourism and geothermal energy.” “These countries have opportunities related to these sectors in a continent with volcanic regions where the economic and business sectors linked to tourism, energy, and the environment can be enhanced by promoting geotourism, geothermal energy, and other geological resources,” mentioned Dávila.
José Segura emphasised the leadership of the Cabildo through Involcan and Casa África’s willingness “to collaborate and be beneficial. Cooperation doesn’t just involve executing projects or constructing schools but also leveraging the scientific advancements of Involcan. We needed to take that step forward, and we are doing so with this agreement.”
Nemesio Pérez highlighted that out of the 54 African countries, 22 are recognised for their active volcanism: Algeria, Cape Verde, Chad, Cameroon, Comoros, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mali, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, São Tomé and Príncipe, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
“Over the past 12 years, Involcan has engaged in scientific collaboration in various African nations to contribute to mitigating volcanic hazards, such as Cape Verde, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo), the promotion of geothermal energy (Rwanda, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Morocco), and the advancement of geotourism (Cape Verde). This agreement supports this work, encompassing areas like volcanic hazard management, geotourism, and geothermal energy,” he stated.
Involcan’s objective is to enhance and optimise volcanic hazard management in Spain and other regions and/or countries with volcanic risks, particularly those with strong historical and cultural ties to Spain, by promoting scientific knowledge, cooperation, training, and dissemination. Additionally, it contributes to enhancing the management of the numerous opportunities provided by residing in a volcanically active region through the promotion of geotourism, geothermal energy, and other geological resources. Involcan aspires to establish itself as a key international entity in the holistic management of volcanic phenomena in volcanically active zones, fostering the exchange of knowledge among research groups and promoting cooperation as a working modality to enhance its global visibility and support the sustainable development of volcanic areas.
Africa also possesses geomorphological characteristics and tourism potential that make geotourism, a form of tourism that offers opportunities for rural area development and contributes to settlement in the region. Furthermore, the Infrastructure Consortium for Africa and the United Nations Environment Programme have estimated a geothermal energy potential of 20,000 MW in East Africa, with countries like Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Comoros having embarked on initial explorations of geothermal potential.
Casa África is a public law entity comprising the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Government of the Autonomous Community of the Canary Islands, and the City Council of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with the aim of bolstering relations with African nations. To achieve its objectives, it undertakes activities and projects that foster a deeper understanding and advancement of relations between Africa and Spain in the domain of Spanish Public Diplomacy, aligning with the priorities of the III Africa Plan of the Government of Spain and the Casa África Strategic Plan 2022-2024, which is primarily guided by the United Nations 2030 Agenda and the attainment of its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Specifically, the aforementioned III Africa Plan, sanctioned by the Council of Ministers on 1st March 2019, centres on four core objectives: promoting peace, security, and stability; sustainable development anchored in robust, inclusive, and resilient economic growth; institutional strengthening; and regulated, orderly, and secure mobility in harmony with the stipulations of the 2030 Agenda and the Global Compact on Migration. In this context, the critical role that cooperation in entrepreneurship, innovation, science, and technology must play in advancing these objectives is acknowledged.
