GCS was delighted to participate in the second edition of Humanity and Inclusion’s Innovation Forum which took place from 19.-21. September, 2023, hosted at the regional mine action and EOD training centre in Ouidah, Benin. The Forum gathered stakeholders from government authorities (Burkina Faso, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic), non governmental organisations (APOPO, MAG, DRC, HI, Afrilam, GICHD), and commercial sectors (GCS, Vallon, CEIA, SCOPEX, GEODE) to exchange on a variety of mine-action topics ranging from technical and operational innovation to reinforcing regional cooperation and coordination. The final day was dedicated to celebrating the 20th anniversary of the CPADD and was attended by several influential stakeholders, notably Minister of National Defense Mr. Fortunet Alain Nouatin, and French Ambassador to Benin Mr. Marc Vizy.

GCS sales manager Laurent Stemmler explains: “We are honoured to participate in HI’s Innovation Forum 2023 and gain insight as to how GCS can support mine action and EOD operations in West Africa.” Georg Stirnimann, Head of GCS-Symlab and Jamming expert, agrees: “It was a pleasure to provide a live demonstration of our man-portable, reactive jammer in such an engaging setting.”