Africa inter astra

The last two weeks mark the realisation of a vision long held by many of Africa’s freedom fighters. Cairo has served as the host city for a historic moment for both the African and global space communities—an event that signifies the culmination of a journey that began in January 2016, when the African Union Assembly, during its Twenty-Sixth Ordinary Session, adopted the African Space Policy and Strategy. This pivotal decision laid the groundwork for a coordinated, continent-wide approach to space activities. Over the past ten days, Cairo has welcomed two landmark events: the First Council Meeting of the African Space Agency (held from 15 to 19 April 2025) and the official inauguration of the long-anticipated African Space Agency on 20 April 2025.

At the inauguration ceremony, H.E. Dr. Tidiane Ouattara, President of the Council of the African Space Agency, and Dr. Valanathan Munsami, Chancellor of the International Space University, former CEO of the South African National Space Agency (SANSA), and Chair of the African Union Space Working Group, were amongst the key figures present.

Dr. Munsami delivered a keynote address drawing on his extensive experience leading the African Union Space Working Group. His speech offered authoritative insights into Africa’s space development journey. He reviewed the challenges overcome during the establishment of the African Space Agency (AfSA), highlighted successful models of continental cooperation that helped shape its structure, and outlined a roadmap for how AfSA will use space applications to address Africa’s unique development challenges. Europe and Italy were also well represented. Mr. Marco Ferrazzani, Director of Internal Services at the European Space Agency (ESA), and Mr. Luca Maria Salamone, Director General of the Italian Space Agency, attended the event. Mr. Ferrazzani emphasised his hope that AfSA and its 55 member states would experience the full value of working together, much like ESA's collaborative model in Europe. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher extended his congratulations on the launch of AfSA, stating: "The establishment of the African Space Agency is a true milestone for the continent and marks a significant step forward in Africa’s space strategy. Space has the unique ability to drive innovation and inspire new generations, and I look forward to collaborating closely for the benefit of citizens on both continents."

The event also welcomed representation from other leading space agencies. NASA was represented by Ms. Karen Feldstein, Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations, while H.E. Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General, represented the UAE Space Agency.

The inauguration day also marked an important milestone for the African Space Agency (AfSA) with the signing of its first formal international partnerships. Cooperation agreements were concluded with the European Space Agency (ESA), the UAE Space Agency, and Roscosmos. Each agreement sets out specific areas of collaboration. With the European Space Agency, AfSA will engage in joint Earth observation programmes focusing on climate monitoring and natural resource management. The partnership also includes joint training initiatives for African space professionals and technical support to assist in the early development of AfSA's institutional capabilities. The agreement with the UAE Space Agency centres on cooperation in the development of small satellites and the establishment of educational exchange programmes between African and Emirati space institutions, amongst other collaborative efforts. Through its partnership with Roscosmos, AfSA will receive technical consultation on launch capabilities, work together on space science research, and explore opportunities for African astronauts to participate in future missions.

The African Space Agency (AfSA) was established in 2018 under Article 5(2) of the Constitutive Act as an official Organ of the African Union (AU). Unlike the European Space Agency (ESA), AfSA is directly part of its continental political structure. ESA, by contrast, is not an institution of the European Union (EU); it is an independent intergovernmental organisation founded in 1975, comprising 22 member states—some of which, like the United Kingdom, Norway, and Switzerland, are not EU members. ESA focuses on space exploration, science, Earth observation, technology development, and industrial policy.

In Europe, the relationship between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union (EU) is governed by formal agreements. Typically, ESA is responsible for designing and building major systems—such as the satellites for the Galileo navigation network—while the European Union Agency for the Space Programme (EUSPA) manages and operates these systems under EU political oversight. However, tensions sometimes arise due to overlapping responsibilities and competition for influence. On several occasions, the EU has attempted to expand EUSPA’s technical role, a move that ESA views as infringing on its traditional leadership in engineering and innovation. ESA is concerned about being reduced to the role of a mere "contractor" rather than maintaining its position as a strategic decision-maker in European space policy. Despite these frictions, both organisations acknowledge their mutual dependence. Nevertheless, the European space sector faces deeper structural issues: it remains underfunded, attracts relatively little private investment, and suffers from a fragmented governance model involving multiple institutional actors at both national and EU levels (1). This institutional complexity results in inefficient resource allocation and duplicated efforts. Furthermore, ESA’s "geographical return" policy—which awards contracts based on member states' financial contributions rather than competitive merit—intensifies this fragmentation by favouring national interests over overall European competitiveness.

AfSA, for its part, has so far avoided similar administrative overlaps, thanks to its integration directly within the African Union framework (2). However, the unique nature of the AU presents its own set of challenges. The AU is unparalleled globally: no other political organisation so comprehensively integrates an entire continental landmass of comparable size. Yet, this ambition is burdened by profound structural weaknesses, including institutional fragility, internal conflicts, extreme economic disparities, and widespread political instability. Africa’s immense geographical expanse, combined with its extraordinary cultural, linguistic, and historical diversity, makes achieving true integration exceptionally difficult. Moreover, the limited industrial and technological capacity in many member states hampers efforts to build genuine strategic autonomy. In comparison, the European Union—although geographically smaller—faces its own integration challenges, including tensions between nationalist sentiments and efforts towards deeper political union, as well as difficulties in coordinating immigration, foreign policy, defence, and economic policies between diverse member states. However, the EU enjoys several advantages over the AU: more mature institutions, higher levels of economic integration, and relatively homogenous standards of development across its member countries. Thus, while AfSA has sidestepped some of the administrative entanglements seen in Europe, the broader structural difficulties within the African Union pose significant obstacles to its long-term success.

Although partly inspired by European models of cooperation, the African Space Agency (AfSA) is fundamentally different from the European Space Agency (ESA) in both context and operational approach. ESA was founded on a relatively small but densely populated and highly industrialised continent. It benefits from the support of advanced economies and stable political systems, enabling significant investment in research, innovation, and high-profile space missions—such as Rosetta, Gaia, and major collaborations with NASA and other global agencies.

By contrast, AfSA is still in the process of establishing itself across a vastly larger continent marked by wide disparities in development amongst its member states. Its primary mission is pragmatic rather than purely exploratory: to harness space technologies to address pressing challenges such as resource management, environmental monitoring, precision agriculture, and disaster prevention. AfSA is thus envisioned more as a catalyst for development and internal cooperation (3) than as a vehicle for technological prestige, a role that partly defines ESA’s international reputation. In short, while Europe can afford a "space diplomacy" approach focused on high-visibility achievements, Africa must first lay the foundational infrastructure to use space as a tool for supporting sustainable growth and strategic autonomy amongst its member states.

The establishment of the African Space Agency comes at a particularly pivotal moment in the continent’s development trajectory. Within the next few decades, Africa is expected to have the world’s largest and most youthful workforce; projections suggest that by 2050, nearly one-third of the global youth population could be African. This demographic phenomenon—often referred to as Africa’s "youth bulge"—presents both tremendous opportunities and formidable challenges. AfSA has a critical role to play in transforming this youthful potential into economic and technological progress. By offering training opportunities, inspiring innovation, and creating employment in advanced fields such as space science, engineering, and satellite technology, AfSA can help drive the development of a knowledge-based economy. This shift is essential to move Africa beyond reliance on traditional industries toward high-value, sustainable sectors. Moreover, by providing exciting and meaningful career paths in space-related fields, AfSA can help curb brain drain, encouraging talented young Africans to build their futures at home rather than seeking opportunities abroad. Space exploration also has a powerful inspirational dimension. AfSA’s success could ignite ambition amongst the continent’s youth, fostering a new generation of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and leaders committed to advancing Africa’s future. However, this potential will not be realised automatically. Strategic investments in education, infrastructure, governance, and political stability (4) are necessary to fully harness Africa’s demographic advantage. The success of AfSA will depend not only on the agency’s own initiatives but also on its ability to connect space activities to tangible improvements in daily life—particularly in sectors like agriculture, healthcare, climate monitoring, and digital connectivity. AfSA’s mission and Africa’s youthful population are deeply interconnected. If successful, the Agency could become a powerful driver of innovation and growth—but achieving this vision will require strategic foresight, substantial investment, and disciplined execution to turn demographic potential into genuine prosperity.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1) THE DRAGHI REPORT ON EU COMPETITIVENESS, Sectoral Policies, 8. SPACE, pp. 177-178-179
https://commission.europa.eu/document/download/fcbc7ada-213b-4679-83f7-69a4c2127a25_en?filename=Address%20by%20Mario%20Draghi%20at%20the%20Presentation%20of%20the%20report%20on%20the%20future%20of%20European%20competitiveness.pdf
2) STATUTE OF THE AFRICAN SPACE AGENCY, ARTICLE II
https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/36198-treaty-statute_african_space_agency_e.pdf
3) AFRICAN SPACE POLICY, AFRICAN UNION, OBJECTIVE NO. 5-6, p. 13
https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/37433-doc-african_space_policy_isbn_electronic_.pdf
4) AFRICAN SPACE STRATEGY, STRATEGIC FOCUS, 4.3.7-4.3.8 p. 15
https://au.int/sites/default/files/documents/37434-doc-au_space_strategy_isbn-electronic.pdf