PanAfGeo+ is a pan-African initiative that supports geological science and technology. It represents a flagship partnership between Africa and Europe in the field of geosciences, funded by the European Union (EU), and will run for five years, from 2025 to 2029. The project is financed by the EU’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG-INTPA) and is coordinated by France’s Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), in collaboration with EuroGeoSurveys (EGS) and the Organisation of African Geological Surveys (OAGS). PanAfGeo+ builds on the foundations laid by the PanAfGeo-1 and 2 projects (2016–2024) as well as the AfricaMaVal project (2022–2025).
The launch event brought together approximately one hundred stakeholders involved in the PanAfGeo project. Local partners were represented by a delegation from the Ministry of Mines, including the National Geological Survey of Congo (SGN-C). His Excellency Mr. Louis WATUM KABAMBA, Minister of Mines, attended the event on the morning of June 17 for the official launch of the PanAfGeo+ project, and again on June 19 for the launch of the Country Window dedicated to the DRC. International partners included representatives from the project’s target countries—South Africa, Namibia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia—as well as key project partners, such as the Bureau de Recherches Géologiques et Minières (BRGM), EuroGeoSurveys (EGS), the Geological Survey of the Netherlands (TNO), the School of Advanced Studies Sant'Anna (SSSA), the Association of Women in Mining in Africa (AWIMA), and the Foundation for Studies and Research on International Development (Ferdi).
The kick-off event spanned four days, with the first two days (June 17–18) dedicated to the launch of the PanAfGeo+ project, and the last two days (June 19–20) focused on the launch of the DRC Country Window. The PanAfGeo+ project has a budget exceeding €50 million, of which €11.8 million is allocated to the DRC Country Window.
Ferdi is actively contributing to Contract 2 of the PanAfGeo+ project through its involvement in the ‘Invest’ component and the ‘DRC Country Window’. Specifically, Ferdi leads Work Package 2 (WP2) of the ‘Invest’ component, which focuses on the "Legal, Fiscal, and ESG Framework for Investment" under Activity 2.1. In addition, Ferdi is engaged in Work Package 4 (WP4) of the DRC Country Window, where it will deliver six training courses for the Ministry of Mines, particularly for the National Geological Service of Congo (SGN-C).
