# The Status of Space Weather Infrastructure and Research in Africa
## 2 Distribution of Space Weather Infrastructure in Africa
### Space Weather Monitoring
#### 2.1.1 Global Navigation Satellite Systems Receivers
The line running from the geographic longitude 10\({}^{\circ}\) is the geomagnetic meridian. In 2019, the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) started the installation of new GNSS receivers for scintillation monitoring covering both East and West Africa. At present, three receivers in Kilifi (Kenya, \(3.62^{\circ}\) S, \(39.84^{\circ}\) E), Malindi (Kenya, \(2.93^{\circ}\) S, \(40.21^{\circ}\) E), and Abuja (\(9.07^{\circ}\) N, \(7.49^{\circ}\) E) are operational, making their data available in real-time. Almost 50% of installed SCINDA GISTMs in Africa are non-operational. This state of affairs is not suitable for space weather research in Africa. The reasons for this are damage, intermittent electricity supply, and poor internet connectivity, thus prohibiting data transfer to the central server in Boston College; missing equipment parts; equipment reaching the end of its useful operational lifetime; and system configuration problems (see Figure 2). This means mitigating space weather effects is not possible in large swathes of Africa due to the infrastructure gaps and the non-operational status of most receivers. Consequently, space weather advisories to various sectors would only be possible in certain parts of Africa but not in others. This is particularly bad for the aviation industry since the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) now requires all airports to integrate space weather information in their aeronautical information services [16]. This state of the GISTMs in Africa hampers space weather research in the continent and jeopardizes networking and collaborations. In addition, it highlights the lack of goodwill by the hosts to avail funds \begin{table}
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**Locations** & **Host Nation** & **Station Code** & **Network** & **Latitude** & **Longitude** \\ \hline Abidjan & Ivory Coast & ABJ & SCINDA & 5.34 & 5.36 \\ Addis Abeba & Ethiopia & ADD & SCINDA & 9.33 & 38.75 \\ Ascension Island & Atlantic Ocean & ASI & SCINDA & \(-7.98\) & \(-14.41\) \\ Bahir-Dar & Ethiopia & BHD & SCINDA & \(11.57\) & \(37.39\) \\ Brazzaville & Congo & BZV & SCINDA & \(-4.28\) & \(15.25\) \\ Busttena & Uganda & BUS & SANSA & \(0.75\) & \(34.04\) \\ Butare & Rwanda & NUR & SCINDA & \(-2.61\) & \(29.74\) \\ Cape Verde & Atlantic Ocean & CVD & SCINDA & \(16.73\) & \(-22.94\) \\ Dakar & Senegal & DKR & SCINDA & \(14.68\) & \(-17.46\) \\ Helwan & Egypt & HEL & SCINDA & \(29.87\) & \(31.32\) \\ Hermanus & South Africa & HMO & SCINDA & \(-34.42\) & \(19.22\) \\ Ilorin & Nigeria & ILR & SCINDA & \(8.48\) & \(4.67\) \\ Kabwe & Zambia & KAB & SANSA & \(-14.44\) & \(28.46\) \\ Kampala & Uganda & KAM & SCINDA & \(0.37\) & \(32.56\) \\ Kampala & Uganda & KMP & SCINDA-VHF & \(0.37\) & \(32.56\) \\ Kilifi & Kenya & KIL0N & INGV & \(-3.62\) & \(39.84\) \\ Kilifi & Kenya & KAL & SANSA & \(-3.62\) & \(39.84\) \\ Kinshasa & Congo & FIH & SCINDA & \(-4.42\) & \(15.31\) \\ Kisangani & Congo & FKI & SCINDA & \(0.51\) & \(25.21\) \\ Kitwe & Zambia & KIT & SCINDA & \(-12.80\) & \(28.24\) \\ Koudogou & Burkina Faso & KDG & SCINDA & \(12.24\) & \(-2.40\) \\ Lagos & Nigeria & LOS & SCINDA & \(6.52\) & \(3.39\) \\ Lagos & Nigeria & LAG & SANSA & \(6.52\) & \(3.39\) \\ Malindi & Kenya & MAL0P & INGV & \(-2.93\) & \(40.21\) \\ Maseno & Kenya & KIS & SCINDA & \(0\) & \(34.6\) \\ Mbarara & Uganda & MBQ & SCINDA & \(-0.62\) & \(30.65\) \\ Nairobi (J K U) & Kenya & NBO & SCINDA & \(-1.09\) & \(37.02\) \\ Nairobi (U of Nairobi) & Kenya & NRE & SCINDA & \(-1.27\) & \(36.81\) \\ Nairobi (U of Nairobi) & Kenya & NAI & SCINDA-VHF & \(-1.27\) & \(36.81\) \\ Nianey & Niger & NIM & SCINDA & \(13.50\) & \(2.10\) \\ Naukka & Nigeria & NSU & SCINDA & \(6.86\) & \(7.41\) \\ Sao Tome and Principe & Atlantic Ocean & TMS & SCINDA & \(0.34\) & \(6.74\) \\ Seychelles & Indian Ocean & SEZ & SCINDA & \(-4.32\) & \(55.69\) \\ Yaounde & Cameroon & YAO & SCINDA & \(3.90\) & \(11.50\) \\ Zanzibar & Tanzania & ZNZ & SCINDA & \(-6.23\) & \(39.21\) \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
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