At the NewSpace Africa Conference, which brought together luminaries from around the world, including Ministers and Ambassadors from different nations, the African Space Agency was formally launched on Sunday, April 20, 2025.
In addition to providing some historical background for the development of the African Space Policy and Strategy, Dr Valanathan Munsami, the former CEO of SANSA and Chair of the AU Space Working Group, spoke at the event about Africa’s exceptional chance to lead the world space industry through cooperation, innovation, and sustainable development.
Top representatives of international space organizations also sent goodwill messages during the ceremony, including Dr Driss El-Hadani, Deputy Director, of UNOOSA, Mr Luca Maria Salamone, Director General of the Italian Space Agency, Karen Feldstein, Associate Administrator for International and Interagency Relations, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Marco Ferrazzani, Director of Internal Services, European Space Agency (ESA), H.E. Salem Butti Salem Al Qubaisi, Director General, UAE Space Agency, Jean-Marc Astorg, Director of Strategy, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales – CNES, and others, reaffirming international support for Africa’s space ambitions.
An important highlight of the event was the official unveiling of the African Space Agency logo and the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between AfSA and the European Space Agency, during which the ESA gave the African Space Agency a goodwill gift of the ESA flag that had been to space, marking the beginning of deeper institutional cooperation.
African national heads of space agencies from Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria, Angola, and Egypt, representing Central, East, West, North, and Southern Africa, gave remarks showcasing regional commitments to collaborative space development.
Continuing, Dr Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Immigration, and Egyptian Affairs; H.E. Mr Moses Vilakati, Commissioner, Agriculture, Rural Development, Blue Economy and Sustainable Environment (ARBE) Department, AUC; and H.E. Mr. Mário Augusto da Silva Oliveira, Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technology, and Social Communication, Angola, all gave high-level speeches at the inaugural event that reaffirmed the political will propel Africa’s space future.
The keynote address was given by H.E. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Egypt, on behalf of H.E. Prof. Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister of Egypt, who emphasised the strategic significance of space to Africa’s development trajectory and the significance of Egypt hosting the African Space Agency. The welcome address was given by H.E. Dr. Tidiane Ouattara, President of the Council of the African Space Council.
The African Space Agency building was formally declared operational with a symbolic ribbon-cutting ceremony at the end of the inauguration, which was sponsored by Dr Temidayo Oniosun, Managing Director of Space in Africa, BrandSpur digital news platform reports.
However, the occasion established AfSA as a key organisation in Africa’s future in science, technology, and innovation while solidifying the continent’s commitment to space sovereignty and continental integration.
