RCMRD | mapping for sustainable development

BRIEF HISTORICAL BACKROUND

The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), previously known as Regional Centre for Services in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (RCSSMRS) was established in Nairobi, Kenya in 1975 under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the then Organization of African Unity (OAU). Its founder members are Kenya, Uganda, Somalia, Tanzania and Malawi and the Government of the Republic of Kenya hosts it. It is a non-profit intergovernmental organization and currently has 14 contracting member States, namely: Botswana, Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. (Map showing member States)

The original objectives of the Centre were:

To provide services in the fields of surveying and mapping including aerial photography, photogrammetry, photo-interpretation, first order geodesy, remote sensing, calibration and maintenance of surveying and mapping equipment;
To provide training for nationals of contracting parties in surveying, mapping and remote sensing, and; To provide advisory services upon request on problems relating to surveying and mapping to the governments of member States.
Since its establishment, the Center has been very instrumental in capacity building in resource survey, mapping, remote sensing, GIS and natural resources assessment and management in Africa. It was also instrumental in helping different countries establish their National Mapping Agencies. To date the Centre has trained over 3000 technical officers from its member States and other African countries in the fields of surveying and mapping, remote sensing, GIS and natural resources assessment and management. The Centre has also implemented numerous projects on behalf of its member States and development partners.

CONTRACTING MEMBER COUNTRIES.

Currently the Centre has 15 contracting Member States - Botswana Comoros, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Botswana	Contact Person: Mr. B.B.H. Morebodi Director Department of Surveys Ministry of Lands & Housing P/Bag 0037 Gaborone , Botswana Tel: +267 3907543 +267 397543 DL Fax: 267 3952704 Email: bmorebodi@gov.bw botdsm@info.bw
Comoros
Ethiopia	Contact Person: Mr. Tsegaye Denboba Head, Planning & Programming Services Ethiopian Mapping Authority P.O. Box 597 Addis Ababa , Ethiopia Tel: 251-1-15150845 Fax: 251-1-515189 Email: ema@ethionet.et
Kenya	Contact Person: Mr. Jaspat L. Agatsiva Director Department of Resource Surveys & Remote Sensing (DRSRS) P.O. Box 47146 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: 254 20 606962 Fax: 254 20 609705 Email: jagatsiva@drsrs.go.ke Mr. Mathenge Director of surveys Survey of Kenya P.O. Box 30046 , 00100 Nairobi , Kenya Tel: 254 20 2718050 Fax:25420 2717553 Email: sok@gt.co.ke
Lesotho	Contact Person: Mr. Selebalo Chief Surveyor Department of Lands, Surveys And Physical Planning P.O Box 876 Maseru 100, Lesotho
Malawi	Contact Person: Mr. Daniel O. C. Gondwe Surveyor General Survey Department Private bag B 525 Capital City , Lilongwe 3, Malawi Tel:265 1 774718 Fax:265 1 774717 surveys@sdnp.org. mw
Mauritius
Namibia	Contact Person: Dr. Karim Owolabi Surveyor General Directorate of Survey & Mapping Private Bag 13182 45 Robert Mugabe Ave Windhoek , Namibia Tel: 264 61 245056 Fax: 264 61 249802 Email:kowolabi@ Namibia.com.na/labi@ mweb.com.na
Seychelles
Somalia
Sudan	Contact Person: Mr. Mohammed Khair Director General Sudan National Survey Authority P.O. Box 306 Khartoum , Sudan Tel: 249 83 771659 Fax: 249 83 790189 Email: sdnsa@hotmail.com
Swaziland	Contact Person: Mr. A.B. N. Mhlanga Surveyor General Surveyor General’s Office P.O Box 4700 Mbabane , Swaziland
Tanzania	Contact Person: Mr. Lazarus L. Mollel Ministry of Lands and Human Settlements Development P.O. Box 9201 Dar es salaam,Tanzania Tel:255 22 2121894 Fax255 22 2123735 Email: smd@raha.com/ adma@ardhi.go.tz Mr. Haji Adam Director of Lands & Surveys Ministry of Water, Construction, Energy and Lands P.O. Box 238 Zanzibar , Tanzania Tel: 255 24 223/ 747 410042 Fax:255 24 2236292 Email: muna@zanlink.com
Uganda	Contact Person: Mr. J.L Bwogi Commissioner of Lands Lands & Surveys Department P.O box 1 Entebbe , Uganda Tel:+256 41 230301 Fax:+256 41
Zambia