Space is all over the media. Switch on your TV, and your favorite BBC news reporter may be talking about the billionaires’ race towards space tourism. Open your X (Twitter) account, and you may see Elon Musk’s latest tweet about Starship topping the trending topics. After Cryptocurrencies and Climate Change, it may well be the third-hottest topic to be debated on.

However, Space is always perceived as a tricky science: «Rocket science is not for everyone.» It is also seen as a luxury science: «Space is a game for rich people, we (Africans) have more important problems to take care of .» After all, we still have to feed our people, right?

For the most part, the world believes Space solely concerns exploring the Solar System and sending astronauts to the Moon. Unfortunately, very few people have a comprehensive view of space technology, the space industry, and their fundamental role in our world.

What if I told you that every time you follow Google Maps directions to reach your favorite restaurant it is thanks to a satellite. The food you ate in the restaurant? It may well have been grown with the help of satellite data. When you check the weather on your phone? That is thanks to a satellite, too. Access to the Internet in remote areas, climate change measurements, management of water resources, prevention and mitigation of natural disasters, TV broadcasts... The list is, in fact, open-ended and the public is only now starting to realize the potential of space technology in our daily lives. Space exploration and human space flight have always been the face of the industry, but they do not tell the full story. Therefore, demystifying Space is the important task the Space community has at hand. The global space industry is undergoing big transformations, led by its commercialization and the entry of numerous new players: African countries are some of the newest players. «Africa’s space industry has been slow to take off, but it is predicted to skyrocket in the next few years» and similar headlines are trending nowadays. Nevertheless, this sort of statement could be true for pretty much any industry. “Africa’s [insert industry’s name] was [insert negative adjective] but now is becoming [insert positive adjective], and it is time to get involved in taking advantage of the opportunities offered by this new market.” We might be talking about banking, renewables, or agriculture.

In all cases, the conversation is underpinned by the idea of a «booming African economy.» The old narrative about Africa, which portrays it as a continent of conflicts, hunger, and poverty is being replaced by the narratives of «Africa — a land of opportunities.» Africa is now seen as the world’s next “big market”. However, for how long will these narratives be sustained? Africa cannot be a land of eternal promises that are never fulfilled, and space technology is a critical component to transform these opportunities into reality. Space is inspiration, Space is knowledge, but Space is also a key solution to turn the «Africa — land of opportunities» into the «Africa — land of successes».

Why? What makes the space industry special, and how is it different from any other industry? Why should we learn about it ? Why should we invest in it ? There are three reasons behind this.

Firstly, it is an industry that can support solving the continent’s most pressing issues, including but not limited to: food security, environmental sustainability, climate change, infrastructure for transport, energy access, access to clean water & sanitation, job creation, peace and security, and urban development.
Secondly, Space is a solution yet to be fully exploited, an opportunity itself. It is in fact such a pristine opportunity that we can still draw it the way we want. Space technology, in one way or another, has had its presence in Africa since the 1960s: through Zambian science teacher Mukaka Nkoloso and his ambitious projects, through NASA's Deep Space Network in South Africa, and the many facilities owned and operated by foreign nations. However, only at the turn of the 21st century, few countries in Africa started launching their space programs and satellites. Even then, it is only in the last few years that the continent has seen half of its total satellite launches, established the African Space Agency, and doubled its public budget for space. The African industry is at a turning point: Every decision made today will have important consequences tomorrow and determine how the industry evolves and whether it fulfills its potential.

- We can draw a new paradigm for capacity building and interregional cooperation through the indirect benefits of developing an indigenous space industry: High-tech infrastructure, a skilled workforce, technology spin-offs that fuel industrial competitiveness and innovation and evolve the economy.

- We can draw a new and inspiring future for our youth through Space’s intangible benefits: One where art and science hold hands and seeking to understand our origins and place in the universe is not a luxury.

If we want to draw the Space Solution we should start from above and discuss the key governance issues in the African space industry: From an international, regional, and national perspective, but also from the public and private angle.

As a multi-actor rising market, with increasing interest from the US, an ever growing number of projects implemented with China (Djibouti's spaceport and Egypt’s Horus satellites being some of the latest), the flagship cooperation program with Europe (The Global Monitoring for Environment and Security and Africa) coming to an end in 2025, and a number of topics debated at international level (e.g. space debris and traffic management, space resource utilization, or spectrum scarcity), the rest of this decade will be decisive in forging the continent’s position in Space global governance.

At a continental level, the African Space Agency was formally inaugurated and was declared operational on January 25, 2023. The approach the agency takes to implement the African space policy and strategy and achieve the aspirations laid out by them will be a fundamental point in dictating the speed at which the continent can accomplish its space ambitions.

At a national level, the number of countries launching their first spacecraft and, most importantly, establishing a policy framework to conduct their activities has not ceased to grow. Defining the right balance between public led space programs and promoting a private space industry will be another major challenge for the coming years.

Finally, if we are to draw the Space Solution, we must do so without falling into the same traps and mistakes that have doomed other opportunities, e.g. the commodity price boom from 2004 to 2014. We must conceive a Sustainable Space Solution.

- Economically and Politically Sustainable. Without Inequality between regions, without fragmented and non-coordinated initiatives, without foreign dependency but with political support for the indigenous growth and development of a space workforce and space infrastructure.

- Environmentally Sustainable. That minimizes the impact in the environment throughout its development and helps to understand the human impact on the environment to reduce it.

- Socially Sustainable. The foundation for the development of the space industry in Africa should be built upon intra-continental collaboration, considering it not merely as an added benefit, but as an essential cornerstone; with laser focus on user needs, with transparency on its objectives, and public awareness of space applications' societal benefits at the core of the message. All-inclusive: inclusive even of the communities most disengaged from Space. Pushing for gender equity, involving the diaspora, and including the youth as a leading voice and decision power in the present.

The time has come to articulate the significance we desire Space to hold for Africa and to determine the strategies that will define it and translate it into practical actions. It is time to discover the transformative power of Space for the key strategic areas in which Africa requires a revolution. It is time to unravel the impact of creating an indigenous space industry and plot an effective route to do so. It is time to construct the highest level of the Space Solution through adopting the best principles and practices of good governance. And it is time to make Space a space for everyone.

Iliass Tanouti
Space lead of Je m’engage pour l’Afrique