Africa eyes potential bounty from space

After a long time on the sidelines, African international locations are venturing into the space business, hoping to reap rewards in agriculture, catastrophe prevention and safety.

Ivory Coast, which not too long ago hosted a “NewSpace Africa” convention organized by the African Union, has introduced the creation of a space company and plans to construct the nation’s first nanosatellite by 2024.

In April, Kenya’s first working satellite was put into orbit by a SpaceX rocket launched from the US.

The 2 international locations comply with African pioneers South Africa, Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt—a trailblazer which owned the primary African satellite despatched into space in 1998.

Based on AU space program coordinator Tidiane Ouattara, about 15 African international locations have a space company.

The AU in 2018 fostered the African Area Company, whose headquarters can be in Cairo alongside the Egyptian Area Company, to advertise coordination amongst AU members.

Based on a Vienna-based NGO, the Area Era Advisory Council, African international locations have launched 41 satellites since 2016, led by Egypt, South Africa, Algeria and Nigeria.

However solely 9 had been designed and made in African states, whereas the remainder had been supplied by overseas states, which additionally supplied launch functionality.

Decrease value barrier

The excellent news is that value, the nice barrier to getting into space, is plummeting because of cheaper parts and miniaturization, which reduces satellite weight.

“Area is now not costly, in no way,” mentioned Ouattara. A nanosatellite with a mass of between one and 10 kilos (2.2 and 22 kilos) could be constructed by African universities for between $50,000 and $100,000, he mentioned.

A high precedence for African international locations is Earth commentary—satellites that monitor cloud cowl, rainfall, flooding, drought and so forth, mentioned Mamadou Sarr, head of a pan-African group, the Regional African Satellite tv for pc Communication Group (RASCOM).

Almost half of Africa’s inhabitants lives from farming, in response to UN figures.

The continent additionally accounts for almost two-thirds of the world’s uncultivated arable land, in response to the African Improvement Financial institution—a vital think about how the planet can feed a human inhabitants anticipated to succeed in 9 billion by 2050.

Satellites may also play a safety function, monitoring overseas plundering of coastal fisheries and actions of jihadist rebels destabilizing the Sahel and northern Mozambique.

$20 billion market

One other massive market is communications.

Africa was an early convert to satellite expertise, which together with cell phone networks helped it leapfrog over copper wire networks to maneuver round information.

Its billion inhabitants are voracious digital shoppers, not only for traditional leisure reminiscent of TV and radio but additionally in modern areas reminiscent of cell phone banking and telemedecine.

Based on an AU examine revealed in 2019, the African space market can be value $20 billion subsequent 12 months.

However proper now, it’s the overseas suppliers who harvest the info bounty—a situation that some have likened to a rerun of colonial historical past.

“Africa shouldn’t turn into a spot for conquest as soon as extra,” Ivory Coast’s minister for greater schooling and scientific analysis, Adama Diawara, mentioned on the space convention.

Africa’s issues in creating industrial use of space usually are not nearly funding, he mentioned.

The continent’s vibrant entrepreneurial tradition is being hampered by “hazy or absent rules”, and this creates uncertainty for traders, he mentioned.

© 2023 AFP