The African Space Agency (AfSA), which represents the African continent, held its launch ceremony in April and has begun full-scale operations. This newly established space agency has signed agreements to enhance cooperation with overseas space agencies in Europe, China, Russia, and other countries while seeking funding.
AfSA is a space organization established under the leadership of the African Union (AU), consisting of 55 member countries in the African region. Its structure is similar to that of the European Space Agency (ESA), which has separate space agencies for member countries. The headquarters is located in New Cairo City, Egypt. Currently, more than 20 countries in Africa are operating their own space development programs, prompting the establishment of the agency for coordination.
◇Goals for building communication networks and tracking climate change impacts
AfSA's top priority is to provide satellite communication networks needed by residents in rural areas. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), only 38% of Africa's population will use the Internet by 2024, with just 23% of the rural population accessing the Internet.
Tracking the impacts of climate change and providing disaster relief activities is also one of the main objectives. Utilizing photos and information collected by satellites is aimed at supporting agriculture, water resources, and food security.
However, it seems to take some time for the space agency, representing the continent, to become fully operational. Specialized personnel have not been secured, and concrete funding plans, activity schedules, and resource acquisition strategies have yet to be finalized.
Funding will likely be covered temporarily by the African Union (AU) budget. Last year, the AU's budget reached $606 million. Mesak Kinyua Ndiritu, an AfSA space engineer, noted in an interview with the scientific journal Nature on the 6th that "the space agency's budget will be supplemented through external resources such as the African Development Bank (ADB)," adding that "getting countries at different stages of space development to agree on common priorities is also a key challenge."
◇Growing African space development
The budget for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) for the current fiscal year is $25.4 billion (34.82 trillion won). The European Space Agency (ESA) has allocated $8.7 billion (11.93 trillion won) for this fiscal year. In contrast, Africa's total space development budget is much smaller and heavily dependent on foreign support. According to the market research firm Space in Africa, the total space budget of African countries last year was $465 million (638 billion won), which accounts for less than 1% of global space expenditure. However, this marks a 64% growth since 2018. Experts believe that the African space sector has significant potential.
Countries around the world are also showing extraordinary interest in this region. Leading nations in the space sector, including the United States, Russia, China, and Europe, sent delegations to the founding event held on April 20. The European Space Agency (ESA), the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), and the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA) signed cooperation agreements with AfSA at the event.
AfSA has partnered primarily with Europe. Supported by the European Union (EU), the Africa-EU Space Partnership Program invests $45 million over four years, aiming to utilize space technology for economic development, climate resilience, and digital transition throughout Africa. The program plans to leverage the European Earth observation platform Copernicus and the European Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Galileo to support climate change and natural resource monitoring, education for space experts, and institutional support for AfSA.
They have also decided to continue cooperation with Russia. AfSA will receive technical advice from Roscosmos on its priority projects, including launch vehicle capabilities and space research, as well as support for African astronaut missions. With the UAE, they will promote collaboration on small satellite development and educational exchanges with the associated member states.
◇Expanding Chinese and Japanese influence amid U.S. neglect
China's influence in African space development is also significant. Building on its experience in One Belt One Road projects across Africa, China is gradually increasing its role in the space sector. According to the British think tank ODI Global, from 2005 to 2013, Chinese state-owned corporations accounted for 20% ($871.5 million) of satellite contracts awarded in Africa. This is more than three times the $250 million (3.427 billion won) awarded to U.S. companies, making it second to France, which accounted for 59%.
In 2007, China became the first country to provide satellite manufacturing and launch services to Nigeria. In 2017, it offered Algeria its first communication satellite, Alcomsat-1, and in 2019, provided the first Earth observation satellites to Ethiopia and Sudan. In 2023, it also assisted Egypt in launching the high-resolution Earth observation satellite MISRSAT-2 into orbit.
Rebecca Nadine, the director of the ODI Global Risk and Resilience Program, stated, "Chinese state-owned banks are providing loans for various African space projects," adding that "Chinese institutions are not only manufacturing and launching communication and Earth observation satellites for African countries but are also offering facilities, and this will expand further."
The African Space Development Foundation is promoting an ambitious scientific program called Africa2Moon, which involves placing a low-frequency radio telescope designed and manufactured in Africa on the lunar lander Chang'e 8.
Japan has also established a solid network through a cooperation project with the UN Office for Outer Space Affairs (OOSA) to launch CubeSats for underdeveloped African nations from the Kibo laboratory module installed at the International Space Station (ISS). After the establishment of AfSA, numerous experts and entrepreneurs from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) participated in the African New Space Conference held in Cairo from April 21 to 25 to discuss collaboration with various African space agencies.
In contrast, America's presence in the African region is diminishing. American universities and NASA have conducted various cooperative projects with African institutions. Ahead of the establishment of AfSA, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indicated that the Biden administration sees a need for broader partnerships and investments in Africa, stating, "Countries have the option to choose whom to cooperate with in Africa, and they should expect better participation."
However, with the onset of the second term of the Trump administration, funding for U.S. international development has ceased, and NASA's science budget has been cut, resulting in a crisis for partnerships with African countries.
Nature also warned that "the withdrawal of the United States from international development assistance could have severe repercussions," indicating that the relationship between both parties may not be effective in the long term, and that the U.S. approach is seen as less integrated and strategic compared to China's view of Africa as a partner and customer in space-based services.
◇Strengthening Africa's space capabilities remains a challenge
According to the space consulting firm SpaceHub Africa, since Egypt launched its first satellite from the French Guiana spaceport at Kourou in 1998, a total of 67 satellites have been launched by 18 African countries.
African countries primarily utilize satellites for communication and remote sensing. Egypt has launched 14 satellites and South Africa has launched 13, making them the countries with the most satellites. However, most countries remain at the level of operating ground stations that receive and process satellite data. Only a few countries have the capacity to manufacture satellites. Additionally, launch capabilities are dependent on foreign sources, including Europe and China.
The African Space Agency is seeking to enhance the role of its member states in the rapidly expanding space economy. Above all, it faces the task of securing stable funding for space development and integrating the space programs of its 55 member states.
The annual budgets of space agencies across Africa are relatively small. According to Space in Africa, this year, AU member states have maintained or slightly increased their space budgets based on their local currencies. However, some countries are showing signs of change by seeking funding from abroad to secure their own satellite development capabilities. Angola's annual space budget had been less than $5 million (690 million won) for a while. However, in January of this year, it secured $25.5 million (3.5 billion won) in development funding for the Earth observation satellite ANGEo-1 after receiving a loan from a French investment bank.
Experts predict that, for the time being, the role of the space agency will focus on securing and utilizing technology in the satellite field rather than in launch vehicle technology, which is relatively more difficult. Ndiritu, an AfSA space engineer, stated in an interview with Nature that "African nations are very pragmatic" and added, "We want to walk before we run."
Experts believe that African countries must attract the lacking capabilities through cooperation with abroad. However, there are already ample opportunities and environments maturing within Africa. According to the New Space Africa Report released in January of this year, there are currently 327 space corporations active in areas such as satellite communication, Earth observation, satellite manufacturing, and satellite navigation in 36 African countries.
◇Securing fair access to allocated frequencies and orbits is a task
There are also issues that need to be addressed as the representative organization of latecomer nations in space development. Low Earth orbit is facing severe issues of orbit and frequency scarcity as large-scale satellite constellations such as Starlink and OneWeb, as well as Kuiper, are becoming more common. China is also expected to exacerbate the saturation problem with its Guo Wang service, which consists of 13,000 satellites, and Qianfan service, which has 14,000 satellites.
Discrimination against latecomer countries like Africa has become a reality as specific corporations and nations preempt frequencies and orbits. In May, South Africa amended regulations to facilitate the entry of overseas telecommunications providers like Starlink. However, high costs for satellite equipment and subscription fees pose significant obstacles for consumers.
Telecommunications industry officials pointed out that concerns from developing countries about being excluded from the orbital environment are increasing, as noted at the 2023 World Radiocommunication Conference. There is a growing voice from latecomer countries emphasizing the need to ensure fair access to low Earth orbit and frequencies to bridge the digital divide in the African continent.
The nascent space agency faces the task of overcoming scrutiny and pressure from global corporations and leading space development nations behind them. It is also the responsibility of the emerging space agencies to find ways for African startups to gain fair chances to compete with foreign companies.
References
Nature (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-01792-8
Nature (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/d44148-025-00163-9
Science (2022), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abq5570