The Ministry of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication (MINTTICS) officially launched on Thursday, in Luanda, a technological tool to support decision-making in the fight against drought in southern Angola, addressing all its dimensions. The technology was developed by the National Space Program Management Office (GGPEN), with support from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and is funded by NASA and the Angolan Government.
According to Minister Mário Oliveira, the platform is designed to aid in decision-making aimed at mitigating the effects of drought.
The tool, he explained, has the unique capability of assessing the entire economic and social ecosystem of the regions under analysis, focusing on issues such as demographics, agriculture, health, and the environment.
The technology cuts across various sectors of the national economy, the MINTTICS head emphasized, explaining that this is why its development involved collaboration with other ministries.
“I must say that it relies on the use of satellite imagery, which is processed and studied, and from that, algorithms are created that enable the extraction of information to support decision-making,” he clarified.
Already operational, the tool is available to the public and public institutions, serving as a contribution to support other national projects being developed by the Executive, in areas such as energy, water, environment, and health.
The new decision-support tool for combating drought in the South is part of a set of platforms within the Spatial Geodata Center (GEDAE), which was inaugurated during the last edition of the International Forum on Information and Communication Technologies, “ANGOTIC” 2025.
According to Mário Oliveira, this is just one of many tools to come, joining others already in use in the country—such as those supporting the oil industry.
It also serves as a model for how well-coordinated global partnerships can generate real local impact for our populations and for the social and economic ecosystems of each region of our country, the minister explained.
By launching tools that make use of space technologies, MINTTICS aims to take significant steps toward improving the lives of Angolans—thus contributing to food security and promoting economic and social well-being.
Source: O País
