Speaker
Description
The African Initiative for Planetary Science was informally initiated in December 2017 (Baratoux et al. 2017) and endorsed by many individuals and institutions worldwide. It was formally endorsed and funded by IRD in 2024 and co-funded by CNRS in January 2025. The IRN includes 13 laboratories or research centers from 11 countries in Africa, 10 research laboratories in France, and 7 associations for the promotion of science, including the African Astronomical Society (AfAS). This network builds an innovative domain of research in Africa based on the existing synergies between planetary and space science with geosciences, with an emphasis on research themes such as the early history and habitability of the Earth and planets, and the evolution of Earth within its environment, affected by Earth-Sun interactions, meteors, meteorites, and impact craters. In practice, the research activities are organized according to the following themes, corresponding to distinct objectives of strengthening scientific and technical capacities (1) Geological mapping of planetary surfaces (remote sensing) (2) Impact science and meteorites (petrology/geochemistry/geomorphology) (3) - Space physics & space weather (physics) (4) Astronomical observations (telescope & instrumentation). These research activities have impacts on society and address at least 3 of the 17 SDGs, through skills transfer and application of these skills that have demonstrated applications in numerous domains, in particular those involving Earth observation from space, and via public outreach in collaboration with associations for the promotion of science. It also aims to highlight and protect the under-explored geo-heritage of the African continent such as meteorites, impact structures, geological sites, as well as dark sky reserves.