How space can help Ghana reach its development goals
“[Ghana] must be able to mobilise [its] own material and human resources to develop a strong economy, capable of generating prosperity for the mass of [its] people”
In 2016, Ghana experienced its economic nadir, with its economic growth falling to a more than two-decade low of 3.5%[1]. Since then, the country has transformed, with its growth rate expected to reach 8.6% in 2018, making it one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, according to the IMF. The fortunes of Ghana are allied with the goals of President Akufo-Addo who stated at the 6th Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan that he wanted to create a Ghana that is "able to mobilise [its] own material and human resources to develop a strong economy, capable of generating prosperity for the mass of [its] people, and construct a Ghana no longer dependent on handouts and charity”.
While Ghana is experiencing impressive growth, its exports are still resource-dominated; gems and precious metals, mineral fuels including oil, and cocoa and cocoa preparations account for over 80% of its exports in 2017[2]. The Ghanaian economy relies heavily on its resources and agriculture.
This reliance is not lost on the general populace, and in April 2017, President Akufo-Addo launched a flagship agricultural policy titled ‘Planting for Food and Jobs’, a five-year plan that aims to increase food productivity and safeguard food security for the country. As across the world, and with the continuous rapid growth of the global population, natural resources such as food and water management will be continually stressed.
Space-based technologies play a vital role in revolutionising agricultural production. Earth observation technologies can make production more cost-effective and resource-efficient, maximising productivity and helping Ghana to achieve its set goals.
While this represents only one area that can be impacted by space-based technologies, the application to agriculture is illustrative of the potential impact that developing a competitive space industry could have socioeconomically. Given Ghana’s record-breaking growth, governmental policies focused on development and growing workforce, Ghana is well positioned to effectively leverage the downstream benefits of space.
Three areas where space technologies can impact Ghana
Ghana, however, is still trying to catch up. Before the establishment of the Ghana Space Science & Technology Institute (GSSTI) in 2011, Ghana had no astronomy programme. The GSSTI was built initially to train specialists in space and help develop commercial applications from space research and has since taken over all coordination activities related to space science, programmes and projects. With the foundation of the GSSTI, Ghana partnered with South Africa to participate in the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project, to help build the world’s largest radio telescope[3].
Assisted by South Africa, Ghana also began converting a redundant 32m telecommunications antenna in Kutunse to a radio astronomy telescope. The antenna was initially built in 1981 to service Ghana’s telecommunications industry at the time but was subsequently abandoned in 2004. Its re-purposing would enable Ghana to become the second country on the continent with a Radio Astronomy Observatory. However, aside from the prestige, the conversion project benefits Ghanaian industry, acting as a training tool for staff and skilled engineers and technicians to become more fluent in space disciplines; providing Ghanaian workers with the necessary skills to convert other antennae across Africa.
While ambitious and noteworthy, Ghana joining the SKA project represents one of the few space initiatives supported by the government. Aside from the SKA project, Ghana allocated GHC$38.5 million (approx. €7 million) to nuclear and space science technology in 2015[4]. In 2017, as part of the satellite Bird Project[5], three students from All Nations University built and successfully launched Ghana’s first satellite, the GhanaSat-1, for a cost of about €430,500[6]. The Ghanaian government also made a bid in 2018 to host the African Space Agency[7], although it was rejected.
These efforts are representative of the motivation by the Ghanaian government to become a premier space nation in Africa and to reap the benefits of a strong industry. Motivation, however, is not enough to ensure the productive development of a space industry. Care needs to be applied to ensure that Ghana effectively utilises its resources to maximise the benefits of space-based applications.
To learn more about how Ghana can effectively develop its space industry, read my latest publication online in the New Space Journal Vol. 7, No. 3
“Africa has enormous assets, numerous resources to exploit and develop. We need to enhance the image of our continent by working together with our own resources”
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.
[1] African Development Bank Group. Ghana Economic Outlook Retrieved September 10, 2018 from https://www.afdb.org/en/countries/west-africa/ghana/ghana-economic-outlook/
[2] United Nations COMTRADE database
[3] Asabare, Bernard. (2017, September 14). Ghana is boosting Africa’s ascent to astronomical heights. Retrieved September 10, 2018 from https://theconversation.com/ghana-is-boosting-africas-ascent-to-astronomical-heights-82849
[4] Matthews, Chris. (2016, January 5). Why Ghana Started a Space Program. Retrieved September 10, 2018 from https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/nz7bnq/why-ghana-started-a-space-program
[5] http://birds1.birds-project.com/
[6] Babatunde, Mark. (2017, July 11). Ghanaian Engineers Launch Ghanasat-1, Join Space Race. Retrieved September 10, 2018, from https://face2faceafrica.com/article/ghanasat-1
[7] Space in Africa (2018, April 15). Ghana shows readiness to host African Space Agency. Retrieved September 10, 2018 from https://africanews.space/ghana-shows-readiness-to-host-african-space-agency/