Presentation of YARIS to partners and upcoming activities for 2021
Despite COVID, the activities of GoGIN has continued steadily, especially in December, when The YARIS maritime information sharing platform was introduced to several partners interested in its use and dissemination. One of the main platforms where YARIS was presented and discussed was the G7++ Friends of the Gulf of Guinea (FoGG) which held its plenary session virtually on 1-3 December, under the co-chairmanship of Gabon and the USA.
European Member States are also expressing interest in YARIS. Indeed, on 11 December representatives of Denmark and Norway discussed with GoGIN the specificities of the YARIS platform and the modalities of cooperation between the initiatives led by those two countries and the European Union. The platform is also becoming known overseas, namely in South Asia, given the interest of India in maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea. The Information Fusion Center-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) requested two GoGIN experts, J.P. Picquart and Sérgio Bryton, to introduce and introduce in detail the YARIS platform. A really fruitful meeting took place on 17 December and the project is looking forward to further cooperation throughout 2021.
In 2021, GoGIN will concentrate its efforts to the concrete deployment of the YARIS maritime information sharing platform which will be transferred to the Yaoundé architecture by 30 June 2021, the closing date of project’s activities. The GoGIN team, in close collaboration with the officials of the European Union, the leaders of regional communities and representatives of maritime centers, is making every effort to ensure that the YARIS system becomes the main tool for exchanging maritime information between the Yaoundé Architecture centers and thus contributing to strengthening inter-agency coordination and regional cooperation in all coastal countries of the Gulf of Guinea.
A training program has been defined in agreement with the officials of the ECOWAS Maritime Safety Division and senior national officials. It will take place virtually and in person, depending on developments of the COVID19 pandemic, and will be delivered by pools of mixed trainers (GoGIN and maritime operational centers). The YARIS basic sessions will take place virtually from January to early February, according to three language groups (French, English and Portuguese). They will be followed by tailored mentoring on YARIS delivered in each maritime operational center, which will begin in February according to a schedule established with national officials. At the end of these sessions, center staff will be able to operationally use the platform in both national and regional context.
In addition, training in data analysis extracted from YARIS should be given specifically to regional coordination centers such as CRESMAO, CRESMAC and ICC. Finally, the program includes training in YARIS administration for IT administrators in the centers as well as future administrators at the
regional level.
Other activities
Working session with ECOWAS On 16 December, a working session brought together the GoGIN project, European representatives and affiliated projects (SWAIMS and PASSMAR), ECOWAS officials and YARIS trainers. The objective was to present the YARIS implementation plan, to agree on the modalities of the training program, and to discuss the transfer of ownership to the Yaoundé architecture authorities.
January – March Agenda The agenda will be modified as the COVID 19 pandemic evolves.
25-29 January: initiation to YARIS (basic level session) – distant learning
February: coaching on YARIS to the centres located in Ghana (MOC and MMCC)
March: coaching on YARIS to the centres located in Benin, Cameroon and Togo
March 2021 : Obangame Express exercice