Towards a Formal African Space Programme

Thursday 24 October 2019, 10:45 – 11:25
Location: The Walter E. Washington Convention Center – Grand Ballroom C

The African Union (AU) Summit in January 2016 approved the African Space Policy and the African Space Strategy and further recommended that the African Union Commission (AUC) reflect on the governance Framework and Implementation Plan for an African space programme. At the January 2018 AU Summit, the Statutes for an African Space Agency was approved and a formal process was initiated to identify a suitable host for the African Space Agency. At the last AU Summit in January 2019, the African heads of State approved Egypt as the host country for an African Space Agency.

The next steps involve the articulation of an Implementation Plan and an appropriate Governance Architecture, and the subsequent approval of these important instruments will mark the beginnings of the formal African space programme. The primary drivers for the African space programme, as espoused in the African Space Policy, include (i) the creation of a well-coordinated and integrated African Space Programme that is both responsive to the social, economic, political and environmental needs of the continent and is globally competitive, and (ii) the development of a regulatory framework that supports an African space agenda and ensures that Africa is a responsible user of outer space. In this Networking Forum we aim to unpack the preliminary thinking behind the African space programme.

Organized by:

Moderator

Asanda SANGONI

Acting Managing Director, Earth Observations, South African National Space Agency (SANSA)

South Africa

Speakers

Adiatou FATTY

Senior Communications Expert, African Union Commission (AUC)

South Africa

Adigun ADE ABIODUN

Retired Space Expert

Nigeria

Francis CHIZEA

Director, Planning, Policy & Research, National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA)

Nigeria

Valanathan MUNSAMI

Deputy CEO, Saudi Space Agency (SSA)

Saudi Arabia

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