Nigerian elected AFRIGIST governing council chairman

Nigeria’s Surveyor General of the Federation, Surv. Abuduganiyu Adebomehin, has been elected chairman of the governing council of the African Institute for Geospatial Information Science and Technology (AFRIGIST) for a two-year term.

Abuduganiyu’s election took place during the 55th Council meeting at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife, Osun State. The council also approved the admission of Liberia as a new member and appointed a statutory committee that spans member states.

In his acceptance speech, the Surveyor General of the Federation said, “On behalf of the Nigerian government, we assure the council that this tenure will be highly successful and will unite member countries.”

He noted that this election underscores Nigeria’s leadership in advancing geospatial information science and technology in Africa, as well as the country’s commitment to fostering regional collaboration and development in this critical field.

“We sincerely appreciate and thank the outgoing chairman of the council (Ghana) for his commitment and resilience over the years,” Surv. Abuduganiyu said.

He pledged to follow the institute’s principles and, through cooperation with member countries and the Nigerian government, ensure infrastructure improvements that will meet the growing demands of students and faculty, providing a conducive environment for learning and research.

AFRIGIST is a bilingual (English and French) inter-governmental institution for Africa. With Liberia’s admission, the institute now has nine members: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Ghana, Mali, Niger, Nigeria (the host country), and Senegal. The institute holds full diplomatic status in Nigeria, and membership is open to all African countries.