The Europe - Africa connection in space - Part 2
The ties between Europe and Africa are numerous. The close and complicated historical, cultural and geographical ties colour the backdrop of cooperation and collaboration. The 2000 Cotonou Agreement, which followed the Lomé Convention of 1975, formalised the partnership between the European Union (EU) and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP).
Currently, relations between Africa and the EU take place in the context of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES) which was adopted in Lisbon in 2007. This extends to Africa’s efforts in space. Under the First Action Plan (2008-2010), cooperation on science, information society and space were identified as one of the core priority areas, with cooperation on space applications and technology specifically highlighted. This priority area was further solidified by the Second Action Plan (2011-2013) of the JAES in Tripoli in 2010.
Under these Action Plans, key areas were highlighted to focus on, including:
Developing concrete joint cooperation initiatives in selected areas
Facilitating humanitarian aid operations and improving security of populations
Improving the management of natural resources, living conditions of populations and promote sustainable development
These actions were segmented by domains of ‘Earth Observation’, ‘Satellite Navigation’, ‘Satellite Communication’ and ‘Space Science/Astronomy’.
This is part two of The EU-Africa connection in space. Check out part one here.
Satellite communication
Aside for a few projects here and there, EU involvement with satellite communication in Africa has been limited. Rather, China has had an increasing involvement in the African telecommunications industry, as part of its broader space strategy to enhance its global standing and counter Western influence. Telecommunications is one of the main strategic pillars underpinning China’s economic development, and China has already targeted several African countries including Algeria, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tunisia.
Space science and astronomy
African capability in astronomy and space science (A&SS) has progressed significantly over the years. For a long time, South Africa was one of the only references in Africa, with their Southern African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO). Their capabilities were complemented by Namibia with their High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS), and Morocco, Algeria, and Egypt with their optical observatories. More recently, several African countries have begun research activities in A&SS including Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda). The growth in research activities has been supported by the AU, which promoted the development of A&SS on a continental scale for improving socioeconomic and environmental challenges on the continent.
On the international front, the EU-Africa High-Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on science, technology, and innovation (STI) between the EU and Africa is a key milestone in the implementation of the Joint Africa-EU Strategy. In the frame of A&SS, the Written Declaration (45/2011) on “Science Capacity Building in Africa: promoting European-African radio astronomy partnerships” called for a greater focus on partnerships between African and Europe in radio astronomy. This was reiterated by the Heads of State of the African Union in “Assembly/AU/Dec.407CXVIII”. Following this, the African European Radio Astronomy Platform (AERAP) was launched in 2012, with the objective of driving radio astronomy cooperation and development in line with the objectives of the JAES.
African-European cooperation in radio astronomy has since grown, with mutual involvements in initiatives such as the Square Kilometre Array (SKA), the world’s largest radio telescope; MeerKAT, a radio telescope precursor to the SKA telescope; and the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (Africa V.L.B.I.), an array of radio telescopes to extend the global VLBI network.
Cooperation actors
On the whole, Africa-EU cooperation on space has involved various European actors, including:
Africa
African Union Commission, which coordinates and finances projects on the continent
Regional economic communities, who collaborate with European institutions for resource management on a regional level
National space agencies, who implement projects on a bilateral basis
GMES consortia (AGEOS, CICOS, CSE, CSIR, CSSTE, ICPAC, MOI, NARSS, OSS, RCMRD, SADC-CSC, SASSCAL, and UoG), who implement the GMES & Africa initiative
AARSE, who collaborate on the basis of remote sensing and GIS
Europe
European Commission, which coordinates and finances projects in GNSS & EO, as well as capacity building, infrastructure, and training projects
European Space Agency, which implements EO and Satcom based projects for sustainable and socioeconomic development
EUMETSAT, who initiate projects to help develop the African meteorological community and mitigate the effects of natural hazards and climate change
EU Member States, who initiate bilateral projects with various African countries in EO, SatCom and GNSS domains
EARSC, who in cooperation with AARSE, published in 2017 an inventory of the African private EO and Geospatial industry
Out of the above European stakeholders, the European Commission cooperation with Africa on space matters is the most extensive. The EC has applied several of its funding instruments for the development of EO and GNSS capacity on the continent, seen below.
Overview of EC investments in Africa in the EO and GNSS domains (up till Q4 2019)
Kwaku Sumah
Kwaku has been active in the space industry since 2016, working as a consultant for European space institutions and companies. He has worked on projects across the entire space value chain, including analysis on downstream markets, space debris evolution, planetary defence, and the launch market; as well as an assessment of the European financing landscape and due diligence on space companies. Most recently he worked as the project manager for Galileo Green Lane, an EU response to COVID-19 leveraging GNSS.