Space42, Microsoft, Esri team up to update Africa digital maps

Abu Dhabi’s Space42, Microsoft and Silicon Valley-based Esri have launched the “Map Africa Initiative,” a five-year effort to develop high-quality digital base maps across all 54 African nations.

The project, unveiled at the 2025 Esri User Conference in San Diego, aims to strengthen local mapping infrastructure and deliver geospatial data to support governments, businesses and communities.

The companies said this effort could benefit more than 1.4 billion people and boost institutional capacity across the continent.

By providing high‑precision base maps, the initiative is expected to enhance route planning for ports and logistics, optimize renewable energy deployment, improve security and disaster response, and underpin the development of smart cities and digital economies.