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𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝟮𝟰𝟬 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥Since Monday, March 2, 2026, Bohicon has been...

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁

𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝟮𝟰𝟬 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥

Since Monday, March 2, 2026, Bohicon has been hosting a hybrid training workshop entitled “𝗦𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗹𝘀: 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵, 𝗔𝗴𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗨𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥.S.” Over the course of four days, several hundred early-career researchers from around twenty countries are strengthening their expertise in spatial data analysis methods to support more informed and evidence-based decision-making.

𝗗𝗿. 𝗬𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗸 𝗔𝗸𝗶𝗻 spent an enriching Monday morning attending a session on the foundations of spatial data and spatial dependence.

This morning’s session already proves that I should be here and that I was right to apply for this training. It is very useful and very fundamental. Until now, many mistakes have been made in data analysis, and I believe that with this kind of training, we will be able to better estimate yields, better predict the future of our forests, and provide more accurate and reliable information for decision-making to policymakers,” he said.

A total of 𝟮𝟰𝟬 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗮𝗻𝘁𝘀 (master’s students, researchers, PhD candidates, postdoctoral fellows, and professionals) were selected for this training to strengthen their skills in data analysis. Forty participants are attending the sessions in person and the 𝟮𝟬𝟬 others online.

“This remarkable participation reflects a young dynamic scientific community that is eager to strengthen its capacities and collaborate,” stated Professor Romain Lucas Glèlè Kakaï, Director of 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙/𝗙𝗦𝗔.

Bridging the Gap

The workshop was organized as part of the activities of the Humboldt Research Hub on the Socio-Ecological Modeling of COVID-19 in Africa (HRH-SEMCA), with the support of the 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗱𝘁 𝗙𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

It takes place in a context where, despite their strategic importance, spatial regression and geostatistical methods remain insufficiently mastered and underutilized in many research and decision-making settings.

According to 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀 𝗚𝗹𝗲̀𝗹𝗲̀ 𝗞𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗶̈ , Director of 𝗟𝗔𝗕𝗘𝗙/𝗙𝗦𝗔, the objective is to bridge this gap by offering, through four progressive sessions, both conceptual and practical mastery of the foundations of spatial analysis, global and local spatial regression models, as well as geostatistical modeling and spatial prediction techniques, through hands-on applications using R.

“In our countries, many phenomena affect health, the environment, agriculture, and the economy. And these phenomena do not occur uniformly across space. Realities differ from one region to another, and our decisions would gain relevance if our data analyses took these differences into account. That is exactly the ambition of this workshop, to help participants better analyze data, better interpret results, and better inform action,”𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘀 𝗚𝗹𝗲̀𝗹𝗲̀ 𝗞𝗮𝗸𝗮𝗶̈ stated.

The scheduled sessions include global spatial regression models; local spatial regression models; and an introduction to geostatistics. The program also includes numerous hands-on practical sessions.

This workshop in Bohicon comes just weeks after another one held in Grand-Popo on the theme: “Structural Equation Modeling: Principles and Applications in Health, Environment, and Agronomy Using R.” Earlier, a training session was organized on effective prompt engineering.

“This workshop is part of the continuity of our service to the community. Through these initiatives, our objective at LABEF is to create an environment where young researchers, faculty members, and researchers can acquire useful and practical skills, exchange ideas about their work, and develop rigorous habits that enhance the quality of our research and publications, an approach that encourages publishing in high-impact journals.”