Photo: Xinhua/Lyu Chengcheng
LUANDA, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Africa will soon be blessed with the establishment of the African Space Agency (AfSA) in the hope of harnessing space technology to aid African development, African Union (AU) Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation Mohammed Belhocine said in a recent interview.
Africa will soon be blessed with the establishment of the African Space Agency (AfSA) in the hope that space technology will be used to aid African development, the African Union (AU) Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mohammed Belhocine, said in a recent interview.
"The AU Space Policy mandates the creation of an African Space Agency. Over the past year and this year, we have taken steps to ensure the establishment of this agency. Member states discussed and decided that it would be based in Cairo, Egypt," Belhocine said.
He specified that preparations for the establishment of AfSA were 90 percent complete, with the organisational structure approved by the Member States. The African Space Council, which is responsible for coordinating AfSA activities and for managing continental space policy and resource allocation, is composed of 10 members from five African regions.
"We are not yet fully established, but progress is rapid. It will take a few months to be officially established, with some recruitment tasks still to be completed," he said.
Thanks to technological advances, benefits in areas such as Earth observation, navigation and connectivity are becoming "obvious to everyone". The miniaturisation of satellites is reducing their cost. Interest in space science and technology is growing in African countries and more countries are beginning to invest in space through bilateral agreements, the AU envoy said. "When AfSA is fully operational, I am sure more countries will be interested in space."
The AU envoy also stressed that the guiding principle of African space policy is the peaceful use of space resources.
"We are very interested in the potential of space technology to contribute to sustainable development in Africa. Numerous applications relate to security, food security, navigation, connectivity, disaster early warning systems and more," he said.
"For example, satellite observations of the Earth provide valuable information and access to this information is becoming increasingly available. That's why more and more countries are investing in it," Belhocine said during the NewSpace Africa 2024 conference, which ended on Friday in the Angolan capital Luanda.
The event was attended by 400 delegates, including representatives of space agencies, officials from more than 24 African countries and 28 major institutions or companies from the global space industry.
He mentioned that the satellite industry in African countries benefits from international cooperation. Major global players in the space sector, such as China, are important partners for African countries in this area.
In the interview, he specifically mentioned cooperation with China, saying that the AU has "very good relations and cooperation" with China in the fields of education, science, technology and aerospace.
"Just last year I visited China for education, science and technology and I was very impressed by China's development. We are working on a memorandum of understanding to strengthen our exchanges and cooperation at the African Union level and I hope there is interest from both sides in space cooperation," he said.
Xinhua/gnews.cz-JaV
English 
Czech