State of the Map Africa 2021/Call for venues/Banjul
Our Vision
Connected Youth Mappers chapter was registered in 2018 and comprises of a group of dedicated students who aspire to change and aid national development through mapping. CYM is led by youth from the University of The Gambia and Jokkolabs Banjul. The aim of CYM is to map vulnerable social services, buildings and routes as well as create better access to data and road connections in The Gambia and across Africa using open source editors and software, e.g. QGIS, Maps.me, Mapillary. The maps produced by The Gambia OSM community help inform flood disaster agencies and enable various humanitarian organizations to plan for rapid relief and response.
Why Gambia
When we talk of The Gambia, the first thing that comes to mind is the peace and stability of the country. Citizens as well as visitors enjoy the tranquility and the rich culture offered by the serene country. As a renowned tourist destination, the country has vast numerous hotels in highly secured areas surrounded by very beautiful beaches. 77% of the population are youth. Currently, the country has experienced a tremendous improvement of its educational system with the increase in the number of youth attending tertiary and vocational training institutes. The level of commitment and dedication shown by the youth has impacted different sectors of the economy. Most importantly, since the change of government in 2016, young people have taken up several roles in the infrastructural sector particularly in mapping. Although 75% of the Gambia is not well mapped, hosting state of Open Street Map Africa 2021 will encourage many youth to start mapping. This will hopefully address the problem of inadequate maps in The Gambia and contribute to the open street map community at large. Young people have taken up different roles in activism using technology as a vital key player in the fight for human rights, gender equality and equity, digital advocacy and digital inclusion for all. This would be another avenue to highlight the use of technology in these advocacy campaigns.
Who We Are
- Jariatou Jallow- President Connected Youth Mappers- OSM Gambia Community
- Madeline Ileleji- Lead Jokkolabs team- OSM Gambia Community
- Miniratou Jobe- Jokkolabs OSM team
- Syed moneeb ul hassan haris- OSM Gambia Community
- Sheikh Ahmed Tijan Bah- Volunteer-OSM Gambia Community
- Alpha Amadou Sumareh- Volunteer- OSM Gambia Community
- Abdou Karim Badjie- University of the Gambia OSM team
- Mahmud Nyang- University of the Gambia OSM team
- Lamin F Badjie-KMC GIS Team
- Chen O. Young- Volunteer- OSM Gambia Community
When Event Date
July 8,9,10th 2021.
Where Place
Kairaba Hotel and Qcity: Kairaba Hotel- The meeting point is located in the heart of Senegambia with a large conference hall that can sit approximately one thousand people. which and includes three 3 breakout halls in the Senegambia hotel. All the halls have access to Wi-Fi and projectors with a sound system, all of which are catered for to make State of Open Street Map Africa a worthwhile. After three days intensive work, a gala dinner will be organized at QCity. Qcity is located in Bijilo, the facility houses a hotel, restaurant, auditorium, sports complex and a beautiful lawn where the dinner will be hosted.
Transportation
The transportation system in the country consists of both private and public vehicles. The green coloured taxis are the tourist vehicles while the yellow taxis with the green middle strips are the regular taxis. Due to the small size of the country, it's easy navigating any location in the country. There are quite a number of taxis on the road that can be stopped and shuttled for individual rides around town.
Air Transportation
There are year round flights mostly from Europe and America with prominent airlines like Delta Airways, Brussels Airline, Vueling, Royal Air Maroc and Thomas Cook. Visa requirements depend on visitors nationality as there are different requirements for different nationalities. However with the ECOWAS treaty, the country is Visa free for African Nationals within the ECOWAS region. Citizens of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth do not also require a Visa due to the reciprocal Visa abolition signed with The Gambia. Other nationalities are advised to check in with their embassies for Visa requirements to The Gambia.
Budget
Local currency: Gambian Dalasi (GMD). Estimated rate: 51.77 GMD for 1 USD on 15 October 2020 (the actual rate depends on your broker/bank, and additional transaction fees may apply, some international accommodations will accept common foreign currencies).
| Items | Quantity | Amount in Dalasi (GMD D) | Unit price (US $) | Amount (US $) | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Venue | 3 days | 195000 | 1257 | 3770 | Plus three 3 Breakout rooms |
| Catering | 300 people | 360000 | 24 | 7300 | Breakfast and Lunch |
| Scholarships | 25 people | 1811250 | 1400 | 35000 | 25 people from different African countries |
| T-Shirts | 300 people | 45000 | 3 | 876 | Round nick T-shirts |
| Banners | 4 | 30000 | 145 | 580 | Pull up Banners |
| Conference package | 300 | 64500 | 5 | 1250 | Program Book, Pen, Name tag |
| Photography & Video coverage | 3 days | 20000 | 129 | 387 | Take pictures and videos |
| Media coverage | 3 | 10000 | 64 | 190 | Three media houses to cover the opening ceremony |
| Sound System | 3 days | 24000 | 155 | 465 | 4 mics and sound system |
| Gala Diner | 300 | 440000 | 29 | 8500 | Qcity |
| Volunteers | 15 | 15530 | 20 | 300 | Local OSM Team and Organizers |
| Miscellaneous | 1 | 25885 | 500 | 500 | |
| Emergency | 3 | 15531 | 100 | 300 | |
| Total | 60000 |
Accommodation
Below are estimate costs for surrounding hotels:
| Hotel | Rates for double room per day | Address | Phone | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kairaba Beach Hotel | +220 446 29 40/1/2 | https://kairabahotel.com/meeting-and-events/ | ||
| Senegambia Beach Hotel | GMD 5000 per night | Senegambia | +220 446 2717 | http://senegambiahotel.com/wordpress/ |
| Coco Ocean Restore | Bijilo | +220 446 6900 | http://cocoocean.com/ |