For using science to improve ocean health and lift up women scientists

Founder/CEO of CoastGIS Research Institute | Dakar, Senegal & Mindelo, Cabo Verde

Dr. Awa Bousso Dramé is a Senegalese and Cabo-Verdean pioneer in Ocean Sciences, GIS/AI and a powerful advocate for women in science. UNESCO Global Virtual Museum recently featured her in the Women in Science Collection of 43 exceptional women scientists celebrated by UNESCO — alongside pioneers who shaped centuries of scientific progress, such as Émilie du Châtelet, Marie Curie, and Mary W. Jackson (the first Black woman spatial engineer at NASA)), whose work shaped centuries of scientific progress, broke glass ceilings and who marked their generation.

As the Founder and CEO of CoastGIS Research Institute (Cabo Verde, Senegal), Dr Dramé holds over 10 years of international experience across 21 countries in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. International organisations such as the African Union, the UN Ocean Decade, UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (Word Ocean Assessment), UNESCO and her home country's government (Cabo Verde President’s Office, Senegal Ministries of Education, Ministry of Digital Economy) have called on her expertise to inform policies on Technologies (AI, Geospatial), Coastal/Ocean resilience and STEM education for girls.

She has been recognised with prestigious awards, including the 2022 L’Oréal/UNESCO Women in Science Prize and a spot on the 2023 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 List, which named her one of the most influential and innovative Africans in the world. More recently, her leadership and vision were recognised with CoastGIS being featured in the 2025-2026 Stanford Top 50 World Businesses in Sustainability. Her groundbreaking research combines Geomorphology, Oceanography (Ocean modelling, Fisheries) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with artificial intelligence (AI), driving innovation in coastal and fisheries management, particularly in her home countries, Senegal and Cabo Verde. Speaking to Le Monde Afrique, she reflected on her early inspiration:

“Thanks to my Cabo-Verdean grandmother, I understood very early on that the ocean is a living organism, deeply connected to humans.”

Her expertise focuses on Emerging Technologies (AI and Geospatial) and critical challenges in the Blue Economy, including coastal hazards (erosion, flooding), fisheries and blue food, ecosystem valuation, adaptation strategies to climate change, and disaster preparedness and emergency responses. By developing advanced AI/GIS-driven solutions, she has created effective monitoring tools and projection scenarios that inform national and continental decision-making. Her work is especially relevant to (West) African and Island States which face compound pressures - from climate change, coastal engineering, and offshore oil and gas exploitation - threatening marine ecosystems, small-scale fisheries, and coastal communities.

Beyond her science/policy work, Dr Dramé is firmly committed to empowering the next generation of women in science. Through her organisation, CoastGIS, she designed and implemented 3 flagship STEM  capacity-building programs:

• GEN4STEM (Girls academic and career orientation),
•  Field2Lab (Geochemistry x GIS for coastal change),
• Ocean4Kids Cabo Verde (Ocean Sciences & Technologies for kids). 

The inclusive, tech-based programmes are featured in the UNESCO Open Science Hub and the UNESCO Global Compendium for Gender Inclusion in STEM (GEN4STEM, Field2Lab) and endorsed by the United Nations Ocean Decade (Ocean4Kids, Cabo Verde). Together, they reached 21 African countries and trained more than 450 women and girls.

At the heart of CoastGIS’s mission is the belief that science should lead to social impact. Awa and her team strive to promote coastal, marine, and environmental research while raising awareness about climate change. Their work aligns with the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union Agenda 2063, underscoring the importance of gender inclusion, empowerment, and education in building a sustainable future.

Dr Awa's inspiring journey—from her academic foundation at Sorbonne Université (Paris, France), Columbia University (New York, USA), University College London (UK) to her leadership role at CoastGIS—illustrates her dedication to advancing Ocean sciences & Technologies, and supporting women in STEM. Her achievements serve as an inspiration and a call to action for aspiring scientists across Africa and beyond.