By Martha Agas
The Nigerian Association of Cartographers (NCA) has urged the Federal Government to formulate and implement a coherent National Geospatial Information Policy and Infrastructure.
The call is contained in a communiqué issued at the end of its 46th international conference and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.
It was jointly signed by the National President, Dr Innocent Bello and the National Secretary, Dr Sylvanus Bernard.
The conference, themed `Geospatial Intelligence Mapping for Poverty Alleviation and Security Management`, was held from Sept. 8 to Sept. 12 in Abuja.
NCA stated that the policy would guide the collection, management and application of geospatial data aggregated in standardised digital map layers.
It said a structured policy framework was essential to ensure data harmonisation across sectors, promote consistency in application and stimulate innovation in the use of geospatial technology.
The communiqué noted that the lack of a regulatory structure hindered the effective application of cartography in addressing land disputes, agriculture and security.
According to the communiqué, in spite of the growing relevance of geospatial intelligence, limited awareness and the under-utilisation of cartographic tools remain major challenges in applying spatial data to poverty alleviation, governance and security management.
It stated that many policymakers, development agencies and security institutions lacked adequate knowledge of modern cartographic techniques.
It added that this often resulted in poor integration of spatial evidence into planning, resource allocation and monitoring processes.
On poverty alleviation, it noted that the gap hampered the identification of vulnerable populations and targeted interventions.
In governance, it limits transparency, citizen engagement and effective service delivery, while in security management, inadequate use of cartographic tools weakens situational awareness and the ability to anticipate and mitigate risks.
The communiqué recommended that addressing these limitations required capacity building, awareness campaigns and institutional support for mainstream cartographic tools into decision-making.
This, it said, would enhance the impact of geospatial intelligence in tackling poverty, strengthening governance and ensuring national security.
It emphasised that enhanced collaboration and investment in cartographic solutions for security management were key to addressing Nigeria’s security challenges.
The communiqué further stated that institutionalising cartographic applications would ensure that geospatial data becomes an integral component of evidence-based policy-making and implementation.
It also called for the advancement of geospatial technologies through robust partnerships among the public sector, private enterprises, and academia, alongside increased investment in research, geospatial technologies, and infrastructure.
It noted that such collaborations would not only enhance research and innovation but also encourage the commercialisation of geospatial solutions and facilitate cross-sectoral knowledge exchange.
According to the communiqué, these investments are pivotal to leveraging cartography and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in addressing developmental challenges such as land management, agriculture, and national security.
It called for the formal integration of cartography into governmental planning frameworks, with particular emphasis on poverty alleviation, governance and security management, and recommended the establishment and strengthening of a National Geospatial Data Infrastructure in Nigeria.
Such an infrastructure, it said, would facilitate effective, standardised data collection, sharing and integration across sectors, thereby enhancing the management of land, agriculture and security resources.
NCA stressed that these resolutions reflected the collective determination of participants to harness the transformative power of cartography and geospatial technologies in addressing Nigeria’s pressing developmental challenges.
NAN recalled that the NCA had earlier called for the establishment of a regulatory body to oversee map-making in Nigeria, aimed at ensuring professionalism and providing accurate information for informed decision-making for national development.
