Access to timely, accurate information is fundamental to sound decision-making. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is an information technology increasingly used in public policymaking, particularly for environmental planning and management. Over the past decade, international assistance agencies have worked to help developing countries, especially in Africa, adopt GIS as a tool for strengthening environmental policy development.

This study examines the uses and impact of GIS in policymaking in Africa. Sponsored by the Information Working Group for Africa (a joint activity of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the World Resources Institute) and carried out in close collaboration with EIS-AFRICA, a pan-African non-governmental organization and network of GIS experts, the study's objectives were to:

• increase understanding of the impact of GIS-based analysis on environmental planning and management in West Africa; and

• encourage and provide a basis for dialogue between decision-makers and GIS analysts in West Africa and elsewhere on the continent.

Several key premises provide a conceptual framework for this study. In essence, the hypothesis is that, for GIS to have a significant impact on policy requires not only equipment, data, and trained staff, but also an active dialogue between scientists, GIS experts, policymakers, and civil society. Policy dialogue stimulates the emergence of a demand for GIS analysis, which generates data products and services. Awareness of novel GIS applications gives rise to new ideas among decision-makers, who identify needs for GIS analysis, leading to increased demand, and the cycle continues. These interactions are most effective within a fully supportive geo-information policy environment at the national level.

The study was carried out over a two-year period (January 1999-December 2000) and focused on three West African countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and The Gambia. Two levels of assessment were targeted: a "macro-level" assessment involving a review of GIS activities at the country level, and a "micro-level" review of four or more specific projects with a GIS component for each country. The macro assessments highlighted the levels of: national awareness of GIS and its uses in policymaking; capacity development; and supply and demand for GIS products and services in the country. Analysis of micro-level case studies examined the policy and other impacts of GIS activities, as well as related issues and problems concerning the application of GIS to policymaking in each country.

Because the use of GIS is in its early stages in many West African countries, and because policymakers remain relatively unaware of its benefits, the achievements to date of GIS-based analysis are perhaps not spectacular. However, several important results have been observed, falling into three general categories:

• planned impacts,

• opportunistic impacts, and

• multiplier effects.

With respect to planned impacts, GIS has successfully helped to: identify and guide needed government action on environmental planning and management; enhance the accuracy and efficiency of government operations; increase the transparency of government decision-making; and help build national networks of geo-information professionals. For example, in Burkina Faso, GIS analysis undertaken for a famine early-warning program provided timely and accurate predictions of crop production shortfalls, enabling the government to take corrective measures. In Côte d'Ivoire, introduction of GIS-based tools has helped increase the efficiency and transparency of forest management as well as improving public management in other economic sectors, including transportation and health care.

In some cases, the policy impacts of GIS analysis were indirect and unexpected. In one such example of an opportunistic impact, the on-site inspection of areas selected through GIS analysis as suitable for future waste-disposal facilities in The Gambia revealed that some of the areas were actually human settlements. These findings led to the development of draft legislation to reform the official recording of land allocation to make the system more comprehensive.

GIS-based analysis performed for one project can often exert multiplier effects by attracting attention from far afield. The GIS components of various projects in West Africa have generated much interest among policymakers from other ministries and neighboring countries. For instance, GIS analysis of water resources in Burkina Faso spurred visitors from Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, and Togo to use these analyses to plan their water basin projects. In Côte d'Ivoire, spatial databases built for one municipality of Cocody have led several others to adopt similar tools for managing their territories. Based on the findings of the macro- and micro-level studies and associated interviews and national work-shops, this report puts forward several recommendations for achieving the optimal contribution of GIS technologies to policymaking in Africa:

1. Expand awareness of GIS value and use. Greater awareness is needed among African decision-makers of the value and usefulness of GIS analyses. This can be brought about through, among other things, briefings and workshops where policymakers have an opportunity to gain a better understanding of how GIS tools are developed and used.

2. Strengthen the policy dialogue process. The processes for encouraging and enhancing dialogue between policymakers and GIS practitioners should be strengthened in all three countries studied. The process should be user-driven and should feature input from all levels of users (i.e., mid-level as well as senior government officials) and from civil society and other stakeholders.

3. Establish national geospatial information policies. All African countries should establish national geospatial information policies that address key issues and problems related to how this information is developed, accessed, and used. Some principal issues and problems include: how to enhance access to information and information sharing; setting the rules that determine standards and protocols for data collection, storage, labeling, and integration; data ownership; confidentiality and privacy; and copyright protection.

4. Strengthen local capacity. Capacity building is an essential component of developing national GIS strategies in West Africa. GIS capacity should receive more attention from the government and education sectors, and capacity should be developed and based in universities and the private sector as well as government agencies.

5. Expand access to geospatial information. The results of GIS analyses-including databases, maps, and studies-should be made available to the public through the media, through regular government and private marketing and distribution channels, and increasingly through the Internet. Wider access will help strengthen the policy dialogue process by requiring policymakers to be more transparent in how they make decisions on resource pricing, allocations, concessions, revenues, and use.

6. Continue to study the use of GIS in policymaking. Each African country should conduct a periodic review of the development and use of GIS, taking into account the interests of the public, government, business, NGOs, academia, and other affected parties. In addition, more countries in Africa should develop case studies on the use of GIS in policymaking, thus building a stronger network of GIS users and experts.