More than 20 years ago, South Africa launched the continent’s first satellite. Since then, 13 African countries have launched 44 satellites into orbit, according to the consultancy Space in Africa. Although it has been slow to develop, Africa’s space industry is gaining traction.
On November 7 2022, Zimbabwe and Uganda launched their first homemade satellites into space aboard a NASA rocket.
The project began in 2015, when a group of students, mainly from Africa, teamed up with their Japanese counterparts at Kyutech as part of the “Birds Project”. Morocco, Sudan, Trinidad & Tobago, Uganda, and Zimbabwe were among the countries represented. The Joint Global Multi-Nation Birds Satellite project, also known as the “Birds project,” is a Japanese-funded cross-border interdisciplinary satellite initiative for non-space faring countries.
Critics claim that the satellite programme is a vanity project for countries still struggling with issues such as inadequate health and transportation facilities. In response to detractors, President Yoweri Museveni has stated that he wishes to strengthen the country’s technological capabilities in order to meet challenges in areas such as agriculture, security, and natural resource management.
He is correct, but as with any emerging industry, African space programmes are met with mistrust. Critics point to the possibility of corruption, as well as the more pressing need to address long-standing poverty and illiteracy issues. However, in recent years, African governments have used satellites to gain a better understanding of continental issues ranging from climate change to terrorism, as well as to address the core causes of social and economic unrest.
For example, in 2014, two Nigerian satellites helped the military in tracking the activities of Boko Haram in the country’s north-eastern region. Meanwhile, the SAT4 Farming initiative in Ghana, which launched its first satellite in 2017 to study its coastal surroundings, uses satellite imagery to assist thousands of small-scale cocoa growers in navigating climate conditions. Space companies such as South Africa’s Astrofica are also looking to expand satellite data collection, reducing reliance on foreign sources and speeding up the process of collecting critical agricultural data. Satellites can also connect more Africans to the internet, as just two-fifths of the continent currently has access to the Internet.
African countries simply cannot afford to fall behind. In the age of big data, private and public satellite technology can help African countries boost agricultural output, address national security concerns, and manage resources. Important national issues such as poverty, education, and infrastructure are expected to be addressed in turn. Furthermore, some African economies are primarily reliant on agriculture, and as a necessity, they are trying to reduce the impacts of climate change.
A thriving space sector could have significant financial benefits. According to a World Economic Forum report from 2021, Africa could benefit from space data worth $2 billion per year.
Growing the space sector has the potential to transform African communities by increasing access to education, employment, basic services, and other benefits.
