Esri, Microsoft, and Space42 Unite to Launch the Transformative “Map Africa Initiative”
In a landmark collaboration aimed at driving economic growth and innovation across Africa, Esri, the global leader in location intelligence, has joined forces with Space42 and Microsoft to launch the Map Africa Initiative. This ambitious five-year project seeks to create the most comprehensive and high-resolution basemap of the African continent to date. The initiative will deliver scalable geospatial data for all 54 African countries, benefiting over 1.4 billion people and addressing critical challenges in infrastructure development, institutional capacity, and sustainable growth.
Bridging the Data Gap in Africa
One of the most pressing issues facing African nations is the lack of accurate, up-to-date, and accessible geospatial data. Many official maps are fragmented, outdated, or difficult to access, leaving governments, businesses, and communities to make crucial decisions based on incomplete or inaccurate information. This gap has hindered progress in areas such as infrastructure planning, investment opportunities, and resource management. Recognizing this challenge, Esri, Space42, and Microsoft have come together to provide locally managed, high-resolution geospatial data that will empower smarter decision-making across the continent.
The collaboration was formalized in early July during the 2025 Esri User Conference in San Diego, California. This partnership underscores a shared commitment to increasing institutional capacity in African nations by delivering tools and resources that enable data-driven solutions. By providing detailed basemaps and fostering local expertise, the Map Africa Initiative aims to unlock new opportunities for innovation, resilience, and sustainable development.
A Continental-Scale Effort with Advanced Technology
“Transforming satellite imagery into detailed, accurate base maps at a continental scale requires advanced geospatial technology and professional production workflows,” said Jack Dangermond, President of Esri. “These same capabilities have supported similar national and regional mapping efforts around the world. With Map Africa, we are helping to establish a foundational resource that will drive infrastructure planning, economic growth, and sustainable development across the continent.”
Each partner brings unique strengths to the initiative:
- Space42, a UAE-based AI and space technology company, will lead fundraising efforts, project management, and the provision of satellite data. Its expertise in space technology and artificial intelligence ensures the availability of high-quality imagery and innovative solutions.
- Esri will leverage its cutting-edge GeoAI and remote sensing capabilities to orchestrate basemap production workflows. Additionally, Esri will support regional hubs to train local teams, ensuring long-term capacity building and empowering African nations to manage and update their geospatial data independently.
- Microsoft will provide secure cloud infrastructure and AI frameworks through Azure, enabling efficient data processing, sharing, and integration at scale. This robust technological backbone ensures that the initiative can handle the massive volume of data required for mapping an entire continent.
Unlocking Value Across Multiple Sectors
The Map Africa Initiative is poised to deliver significant benefits across a wide range of sectors, including:
- Ports and Logistics: Enhanced terrain and infrastructure mapping will streamline route planning, reduce inefficiencies, and improve supply chain operations across the continent.
- Renewable Energy: Accurate geospatial data will enable optimized site selection for solar and wind energy projects, supporting Africa’s transition to clean and sustainable energy sources.
- Security and Disaster Response: Governments will gain access to tools for monitoring borders, managing natural resources, and coordinating emergency responses to disasters such as floods, droughts, and wildfires.
- Smart Cities and Digital Economies: Reliable maps will facilitate urban planning, public service delivery, and the deployment of smart technologies, laying the groundwork for thriving digital economies.
By providing a foundation of accurate and accessible geospatial data, the initiative aims to foster innovation and inclusivity, ensuring that communities and economies can thrive.
Empowering Local Ownership and Sustainability
A key aspect of the Map Africa Initiative is its focus on empowering African nations to take ownership of their geospatial data. The basemaps produced through this effort will be licensed to national governments, allowing National Mapping Agencies to manage and update the data over time. This approach ensures sustainability and enables African countries to build on the foundation laid by the initiative.
Furthermore, the project is expected to catalyze the growth of a new commercial ecosystem of African startups. By making high-quality geospatial data widely available, the initiative will spur innovation and entrepreneurship, creating opportunities for local businesses to develop new applications and services.
Once completed, the Map Africa data will be housed in data centers managed by G42 and Microsoft across the continent. This localized hosting ensures faster access, enhanced security, and reduced latency for users, further reinforcing the initiative’s commitment to supporting African-led development.
A Strategic Partnership for Growth and Resilience
“Partnership is core to the UAE’s DNA and is central to how Space42 operates,” said Hasan Al Hosani, CEO of Smart Solutions at Space42. “This collaboration with Microsoft and Esri is more than technical; it’s strategic. It advances Space42’s business priorities, strengthens our role as a trusted partner to governments, and delivers meaningful benefits to communities across Africa. Accurate, high-quality mapping and the intelligence solutions built on it are essential for growth, resilience, and inclusive innovation. With reliable data, communities and economies prosper.”
The Map Africa Initiative exemplifies how collaboration between leading technology companies can address some of the world’s most pressing challenges. By combining Esri’s geospatial expertise, Space42’s satellite data and AI capabilities, and Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure, the initiative is set to transform the way African nations plan, innovate, and grow.
A Foundation for a Brighter Future
As the Map Africa Initiative moves forward, its impact is expected to ripple across the continent, unlocking long-term value for governments, businesses, and communities. By providing accurate, high-resolution basemaps and fostering local capacity, this groundbreaking effort lays the foundation for a brighter, more sustainable future for Africa. With reliable data as a cornerstone, the continent is poised to accelerate its journey toward economic prosperity, resilience, and inclusive innovation.
Through partnerships like this, Esri, Microsoft, and Space42 are proving that when technology meets purpose, the possibilities are limitless.
About Esri
Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, helps customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969 in Redlands, California, USA, Esri software is deployed in hundreds of thousands of organizations globally, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, nonprofit institutions, and universities. Esri has regional offices, international distributors, and partners providing local support in over 100 countries on six continents. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial technology and analytics, Esri engineers the most innovative solutions that leverage a geographic approach to solving some of the world’s most complex problems by placing them in the crucial context of location. Visit us at esri.com.
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About Space42
Space42 (ADX: SPACE42) is a UAE-based AI-powered SpaceTech company that integrates satellite communications, geospatial analytics and artificial intelligence capabilities to enlighten the Earth from space. Formed in 2024 by the successful merger of Bayanat and Yahsat, Space42’s global reach allows it to address the rapidly evolving needs of its customers in governments, enterprises, and communities. Space42 comprises two business units: Space Services and Smart Solutions. Space Services focuses on upstream satellite operations for both fixed and mobile satellite services. Smart Solutions integrates geospatial data acquisition and processing with AI to inform decision-making, enhance situational awareness, and improve operational efficiency. Major shareholders include G42, Mubadala, and IHC.
