Inglês 
Português 
Francês 
العربية 
In Eastern Burkina Faso, a university is equipping its students with the skills to read landscapes from space using Digital Earth Africa’s free tools.
A university with deep roots in its region
The University of Fada N’Gourma officially the Université Yembila Abdoulaye TOGUYENI since 2024 sits at the heart of a region shaped by rapid change. Agriculture, mining, and environmental pressures define daily life in eastern Burkina Faso, and the university has long positioned itself as a place where those challenges are taken seriously.
Established in December 2017 and building on more than a decade of work as the University Polytechnic Center of Fada N’Gourma, the institution has grown into a hub for applied research and skills development and recently Earth observation.
A shift in what is possible
When the University decided to introduce its community to Digital Earth Africa’s platforms, 81 people showed up. Teaching staff, researchers, and students, all in the same room, exploring the same tools.
The session covered applications in water resources monitoring, wetlands, land degradation and restoration, and urban green cover. These are the landscapes participants walk through every day in Fada N’Gourma. For many, it was the first time they had seen those landscapes through satellite data; processed, open-access, and ready to use.
“We need to integrate cloud-computing analytics into academic curricula so that students are fully equipped to exploit the potential of the available big volume of Earth observation datasets.” Dr. Issoufou OUEDRAOGO, Lecturer, Mining Department, University of Fada N’Gourma
From access to action
Dr. Issoufou OUEDRAOGO, who led the session on behalf of the Mining Department, made the case plainly : students across Africa are sitting next to some of the richest environmental datasets on earth, and too few have the skills to use them.
His call was not just for better technology training. It was for a formal collaboration and structured partnership with Digital Earth Africa that could anchor Earth observation permanently within the curriculum, as a sustained capability. While that formal agreement is being developed, participants left with a concrete next step to enrol in DE Africa’s free online learning platform and start building their skills.
Burkina Faso is facing compounding pressures from land degradation and shifting rainfall patterns to rapid urban growth. Decision-makers at every level need accurate, current information about what is happening on the ground.
The University of Fada N’Gourma is training the people who will eventually provide that information. Giving them access to DE Africa’s platforms and the skills to use them means that insight reaches communities faster, in the hands of people who understand their own context.
Get started with DE Africa
Access free courses, datasets, and tools at aprender.digitalearthafrica.org