By Kurtis Archer | 2025-05-06

A "beacon of innovation" for the continent, the African Space Agency (AfSA) was inaugurated last month, after almost a decade of planning.

The April 20 inauguration marks a significant step in Africa's space ambitions and positions AfSA as only the second regional space agency globally, after the European Space Agency (ESA).

Originally proposed in 2015, AfSA has the backing of all 55 African Union (AU) member states. It will have permanent headquarters in Cairo, facilitating pursuit of Africa's growing space ambitions.

Efforts to form the agency began in 2016, and organizers designated Egypt as host in 2019 after it met a set of technical and political criteria.

The inauguration represents a milestone in the continent's history, Sherif Sedky, CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency, said.

"The AfSA will serve as a beacon of innovation, collaboration and progress for all African nations," he said.

'Building an African future'

With growing international backing and technological ambitions, AfSA intends to make space part of everyday life and development for Africa.

"AfSA will serve as a platform for enhancing cooperation among African countries in the peaceful uses of space, exchanging expertise and building capacities, in addition to unifying African positions in international forums, particularly within the framework of the United Nations," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said at the opening ceremony, according to University World News.

AfSA aims to leverage space science for socioeconomic development, promote research collaboration and address key continental challenges using space-based data. These include crop production, food security, disease prevention, biodiversity, coastal erosion and disaster response.

"AfSA also represents a pivotal step towards building an African future driven by knowledge and innovation, and consolidating the continent's role as an active player in the global race for technological advancement," Abdelatty added.

Establishing the agency is a strategic step towards building a more advanced and prosperous future for Africa, noted Egyptian Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Ayman Ashour.

"We aspire for internet services to extend to cover all parts of the African continent, and for the agency to contribute to digitizing governmental and service institutions, enhancing performance efficiency and bringing services closer to the citizen," he said.

New partnerships

AfSA's inauguration came just ahead of the 2025 NewSpace Africa Conference, held in Cairo April 21-24, which convened more than 500 representatives from 64 countries, including major global space agencies and private companies.

ESA Director of Internal Services Marco Ferrazzani affirmed ESA's pride in "partnering with this new regional space agency," noting a long-standing collaboration with Africa that AfSA will be "brought up to the next level."

On the sidelines of the conference, the AU signed memorandums of understanding with the ESA among other space agencies to boost space cooperation and exchange of experiences.

Ashour stressed the importance of collaboration, noting AfSA's "significant role in supporting development efforts through the optimal use of natural resources, opening new horizons for production and investment, and being a beacon for innovation and progress."

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher hailed the AfSA establishment as "a real milestone for the continent" and expressed his anticipation to "working together for the benefit of citizens on both continents."

AfSA announced partnerships with the United Arab Emirates for satellite and education initiatives, and with Russia's Roscosmos for launch capabilities and technical collaboration.

Economic growth

Having a centralized body like AfSA will "help streamline resources" and "align efforts and voice towards strengthened capacity" in space affairs, space law and policy analyst Ruvimbo Samanga told University World News.

AfSA can "support sustainable development in Africa" by providing crucial data and services from space infrastructure to aid decision-making, he added.

AfSA can be key to economic growth, said Aboubakar Mambimba Ndjoungui, director-general of the Gabonese Agency for Space Studies and Observations.

"The space sector is a huge source of employment," he told University World News, adding that AFSA should foster small and medium-sized enterprises to create sustainable jobs and boost GDP.

AfSA will face numerous challenges requiring serious cooperation among African nations for its success, he said.

AfSA will need to be responsive and "surmount the clear coordination challenges that may arise from attempting to coordinate numerous member states with often competing interests," he added.