The African Union Heads of State and Government during their Twenty-Sixth Ordinary Session on 31 January 2016 in Addis Ababa adopted the African Space Policy and Strategy as the first of the concrete steps towards realizing an African Outer Space Programme that was identified as one of the flagship programmes of the AU Agenda 2063 (Decision Assembly/AU/Dec.589 (XXVI)).
Pursuant to this, the African Union Commission (AUC) is conducting Baseline Studies on the four Space Segments and the Space Socioeconomic Benefits for the Establishment and Operationalization of the African Space Agency. The study aims to facilitate the achievement of one of the key aspirations of the African Space Policy and Strategy i.e. developing a sustainable and vibrant indigenous space industry that promotes and responds to Africa’s needs. The studies cover four domain focus areas of the African Space Strategy including:
- Survey on the Socio-Economic Benefits of Space Science and Technology in Africa; The aim of this survey is to evaluate and qualify the socio-economic benefits of space technologies and related activities to Africans across various application sectors and all socioeconomic sectors.Â
- Survey on Academia in Astronomy and Space Science in Africa; The objective of this is to undertake a comprehensive survey and analysis of space science and astronomy in Africa with the aim of understanding the accurate situation of the African context: key players, roles, responsibilities, opportunities and challenges, user requirements, existing capacities. This will effectively inform the development and implementation of strategic actions and programmes for positioning and strengthening space science and astronomy in Africa.
- Survey on Academia in Earth observation in Africa; the aim of this study is to determine the existing platforms to train and deploy human and infrastructural capacities building on previous studies that have been done, eliminating assumptions and taking a thorough stock of the EO capacities across the entire continent.Â
- Survey on Academia in Satellite Communications and Aerospace Engineering in Africa: the purpose of this study is to determine the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and how to leverage existing initiatives with a view to inform the development of a Draft Implementation Plan of the Satellite Communication strategy and program for Africa.
In order to achieve a 360-degrees overview of the African space industry, the survey also targets to collect responses from the following key stakeholders, namely: government ministries/departments/space agencies in Africa concerned with policies and applications of space science and technology; academic and research institutions in Africa applying space science and technology; space science and technology Communities of Practice (CoP) and associations; private firms; public-private firms; inter-governmental organisations; international organisations; and NGOs interested or applying space science and technologies in Africa. The survey’s report will also be circulated to all participants of the survey.
Space in Africa, Africa’s premier space-focused media, analytics and consulting firm, has been mandated by the African Union Commission (AUC) to conduct the survey in all African countries. We have deployed online surveys to gather the required information from the widest achievable majority of companies and stakeholders.Â
Companies and stakeholders wishing to take part in the survey can access the online questionnaire (English and French) using this link. Please contact Space in Africa via in**@sp***********.com for inquiries.
