Gabon and FAO strengthen agricultural investment planning through the Hand-in-Hand geospatial intelligence and capacity buildinge
25.06.2025
In a bid to improve data-driven agricultural investment and planning, the Government of Gabon, in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund, organized a four-day capacity-building workshop on geospatial data management from 16 to 19 June 2025 in Libreville.
This initiative stems from Gabon’s 2024 agreement with the United Nations to implement a Joint Sustainable Development Goals Fund aimed at strengthening institutional and technical capacities for evidence-based strategic planning.
A key part of this effort is the effective use of geospatial tools and methodologies to support sustainable land use, agricultural development, and inclusive growth — ensuring no one is left behind.
Approximately 40 participants took part in the session, including experts in statistics, digital agriculture, geospatial sciences, and strategic planning. The workshop brought together representatives from key institutions such as the General Commissariat for Planning, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Gabonese Space Studies and Observations Agency, the Agricultural Development Agency of Gabon, as well as national agencies for statistics and cartography. Academic institutions and United Nations partners.
Developed in response to Gabon’s renewed commitment to strategic planning, highlighted by the reopening of the Ministry of Planning and Foresight and the reestablishment of the General Commissariat for Planning, the training aimed to equip key stakeholders with advanced spatial analysis tools, including:
• Stochastic frontier analysis for defining agricultural typologies,
• Multicriteria decision analysis (GIS-MCDA) for mapping priority investment areas,
• And hands-on use of FAO’s geospatial platform to identify targeted agro-silvo-pastoral and fisheries investments.
Participants improved their technical skills in applying stochastic frontier models and GIS-based decision-making tools, gained hands-on experience with the FAO geospatial platform to support evidence-based agricultural investment planning, and strengthened institutional capacities in spatial analysis and land management.
Led by experts from FAO’s Digitalization and Informatics Division (CSI) and Econometrics Unit (DDCG), with support from the Subregional Coordinator of the Hand-in-Hand Initiative, the workshop’s ultimate goal was to strengthen the capacity of national institutions – particularly the General Commissariat for Planning – in the use of geospatial data, enabling more strategic, inclusive, and sustainable planning.
A strategic step for Gabon’s development vision
This capacity-building session marks a concrete step toward advancing Gabon’s vision for data-driven governance and aligns closely with the country’s commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals.
As Mr. Vulgain Andzembe Tsiegori, High Commissioner for Planning, emphasized that the workshop represented “another step towards real food sovereignty.”
By improving access to and use of geospatial data, Gabon aims to enable more effective planning, attract targeted investments, and foster resilient, sustainable food systems.
Background
At the heart of this workshop is FAO’s Hand-in-Hand Initiative, launched in 2019 to accelerate investment in agrifood systems transformation and rural development, targeting the eradication of poverty (SDG 1) and hunger (SDG 2). To support this initiative, FAO developed a geospatial platform in 2020 that provides open access to high-quality spatial data, agricultural statistics, and food security indicators from multiple global and local sources.
This platform now serves as a critical tool in planning and decision-making for governments and development partners across the globe.