Press Release Nº 255/2013

AU Commission Holds an Experts’ Workshop on Designing an African Space Strategy

Johannesburg, December 19, 2013 –Following the 2012African Ministerial Conference of Science and Technology (AMCOST) which established a Working Group on African Space Policy and Strategy, African experts drawn from fields of Earth Observation, Astronomy, Space Physics, Metrology, and Navigation an Positioning; and Communication met in South Africa from 19 to 20 December 2013 to brainstorm and articulate the elaboration of a continent wide space strategy. The strategy is being derived from the draft space policy that was developed by this working group. It will enable Africa to benefit from its abundant and untapped space resources. The Director of Human Resources, Science and Technology, Dr. Abdul-Hakim Rajab Elwaer who opened the workshop, underlined that this workshop is a historic and visionary move which will ensure the development of a sustainable and fully effective space program for Africa, that will better serve its citizens through the improvement of quality of life and the creation of wealth.
Indeed, Space Science and Technology presents a unique opportunity as it contributes towards a better proactive management of disease outbreaks, natural resources, environment, natural hazards and disasters, weather forecasting, climate change mitigation and adaptation, agriculture and food security, peacekeeping missions and conflicts, and maritime activities, among others.
The African Space Policy and Strategy is thus a guiding framework for the formalization of the African Space Agenda. It will be complemented by a Plan of Action with the goal of addressing user needs, ensuring the access to space services, developing the regional market, coordinating the African space arena, enhancing space governance, and promoting international cooperation.