Realizing a regional African space programme

The African Union Heads of State and Government during their Twenty-Sixth Ordinary Session on 31 January 2016 in Addis Ababa adopted the African Space Policy and Strategy as the first of the concrete steps to realize an African Outer Space Programme, as one of the flagship programmes of the AU Agenda 2063. The adoption of the policy although significant has no meaning in itself unless steps are taken to implement it. The AU therefore request the development of an implementation architecture for the African Space Policy and Strategy, taking into account requirements of different sectors and end-user groups; as well as a Governance Framework that covers the relevant legal requirements and protocols for an operational African Outer-Space Programme. One of the next major steps to prepare such frameworks includes carrying out a comprehensive space technology audit to take stock of the African space heritage. Both Sudan and Egypt have indicated interest in hosting an African Space Agency to coordinate the regional response to the space policy. This article seeks to highlight the main considerations and to provide recommendations as to the implementation of the policy.