African nations and space companies are pursuing a collaborative continental space agenda, with the African Union’s continental African Space Policy as the framework. SANSA Earth Observation executive Andiswa Mlisa said a key principle is leveraging existing infrastructure: “There is a recognition that the continent already has existing capabilities within its countries. It also recognizes that it is very capital intensive to start from zero.”
Rwanda established the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) in spring 2021. RSA Chief Strategy Officer Joseph Abakund said: “There is power in numbers. If we’re talking about working with the Chinese or the Indians or Europeans on a particular project, speaking as one voice in Africa gives you a lot more runway than going bilateral.”
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Nigcomsat CEO Abimbola Alale called for first right of refusal for indigenous operators on local commercial projects: “I would want to see the African space markets having a unified system. We should have an African Space Agency to come up with policies to encourage us, provide excellent services, and have shared infrastructure to reduce costs for clients.”
Alale said satellite services are increasingly essential in Africa: “More than ever, I think satellite services are needed in Africa, especially with the COVID-19 pandemic. People in the rural areas and difficult to reach areas still rely on satellite communications. We need to seriously consider collaboration, so that we can meet the needs of our people.” VS
