The Ocean Data and Information Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA), in collaboration with the Centre de Recherche Océanographique de Dakar Thiaroye (CRODT) and the Direction des Pêches Maritimes (DPM) have the pleasure to announce the ODINAFRICA Scientific Symposium that will be held in Saly, Senegal from 30 November - 01 December 2011. The symposium will be followed by a workshop for the Head�s of Institutions that are part of the ODINAFRICA network on 02 December 2011 at the same venue. BACKGROUND Integrated management of coastal and marine resources and environment is essential for balancing competing needs of different sectors and industries such as fisheries, tourism, mining (including oil and gas), shipping and navigation e.t.c. Reliable, up to date data and information is required for understanding the ecosystem, and forecasting the effects of environmental change. This knowledge can then be applied to improve livelihoods of coastal communities, and mitigate or reverse undesirable trends or effects. The African Coastal countries and international partners have initiated an increasing number of activities in recent years to address coastal and marine resource management in an integrated manner. These have generated substantial amounts of data, information and related products. However, though most of this information is in the public domain, many marine scientists, resource managers, decision makers and other stakeholders, have not been able to access and utilize it for their work. The symposium will provide a forum for presentation of the results of these initiatives, and discussions on how the data and information generated has been used, or can be accessed and utilized in support of development and management of the coastal and marine areas. SYMPOSIUM THEMES. The theme of the symposium is �Contribution of Ocean Data and Information to Sustainable Development in Africa�. The focus will be on results of research and ?monitoring activities, data and information? management, development of decision-support tools? and their application, dissemination of research results to users. The topics to be covered include, but are not limited to: (1) Access to, and Utilization of Coastal and Marine Data and Information (including policies and legal issues, data quality and inter-operatability, strategies for improving access and sharing of data and information etc). (2) Incorporating data and information in the Integrated Coastal Management process (including integration of environmental and socio-economic data, modular approach based on LMEs, and managing the marine-freshwater interface). (3) Application of Decision Support Tools in support of Coastal Management (including ecosystem models, and marine spatial planning) (4) Outreach and Communication in Marine Science (5) Mitigation of Impacts of, and Adaptation to climate change and variability in the Coastal Areas (including erosion, salt-water intrusion, and coastal inundation) (6) Application of operational oceanography (including operational numerical models, remote ?sensing data, observing systems, etc) (7) Prevention and reduction of the impacts of natural hazards (including floods and storm surges) (8) Technologies and Instrumentation for ocean observations FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE A limited number of travel grants will be provided to experts from Africa whose abstracts have been accepted. Special consideration will be given to women scientists and young scientists, inline with ODINAFRICA�s focus on encouraging the participation of women and youth in marine sciences.