Director of Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO) Engineer Ladislaus Matindi paid a courtesy call on SADC Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration, Dr Thembinkosi Mhlongo on March 26, 2015.
The objective of his visit was to introduce European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO) and discuss with the Secretariat on the cooperation for the implementation of the satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) based on EGNOS in Africa.
Eng. Matindi briefed the Deputy Executive Secretary for Regional Integration on the ongoing operationalization of the JPO and preparations for the introduction of EGNOS SBAS in Africa. He informed the Secretariat that JPO activities are supervised by the Steering Committee comprising the EC, ACP Secretariat, African Union Commission, African Civil Aviation Commission, and all the Regional Economic Communities in Africa. As such, SADC is one off the major stakeholders of the programme.
JPO has been created within the EU-Africa Common Strategy (2005) through African Carribean and Pacific/European Commission (ACP/EC) Framework Programme “Support to the Air Transport and Satellite services applications in Africa” as a coordinating entity for the implementation and operations of the SBAS in Africa. It commenced its operations in December 2013 and is located in Dakar, Senegal.
