Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said Egypt, represented by the National Institute for Oceanography and Fisheries, has been named vice president of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Sub-Commission for Africa and Adjacent Island States (IOCAFRICA).

The position was filled by Suzan El Gharbawy, assistant professor at the institute.

Amr Zakaria Hammoda, head of the institute, said the IOCAFRICA agreed on establishing an office and training center for the commission at the institute’s branch in Alexandria.

The center aims to train researchers from Arab and African countries through training and scientific programs at the institute.

The IOCAFRICA is an intergovernmental subsidiary body of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO.

It is responsible for the promotion of regional and international cooperation, and the development and coordination of the Commission’s marine scientific and research programs, the ocean services, the ocean observing systems, capacity development and related activities in the region by taking account of the specific interests and priorities of Member States from Africa.

The secretariat for the IOC Sub Commission for Africa and the Adjacent Island States based at the UNESCO Regional Office for Science in Africa, Nairobi, Kenya, begun operations at the beginning of March 2012.

Source: State Information Service Egypt