Division of Forest and Forest Resources
Partnership for Research and Education for Monitoring Coastal Environments in Africa (CoastAfrica)
End: dec 2029
Start: dec 2025
CoastAfrica is an international research and education partnership that strengthens collaboration between Norwegian and African institutions to monitor coastal environmental change.
| Status | Active |
| Start - end date | 31.12.2025 - 30.12.2029 |
| Project manager | Belachew Gizachew Zeleke |
| Division | Division of Forest and Forest Resources |
| Department | Forest and Climate |
| Partners | Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA), Tanzania, and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana (UCC). |
The project builds institutional and personnel capacity to monitor challenges, including plastic pollution, coastal erosion, invasive species, and broader ecosystem change, by applying remote sensing, drone-based monitoring, and AI/ML methods. It responds to gaps in advanced geospatial technology and analysis while improving contextual understanding across the partnership.
Research and education are integrated through co-developed, field-based training (summer schools, technical courses, and joint MSc/PhD supervision) with a strong focus on gender inclusion and equitable participation.
CoastAfrica will deliver open-access training materials, shared datasets, and a collaborative coastal monitoring platform to strengthen skills, institutional capacity, and evidence-based decision-making in support of resilient coastal ecosystems and communities.