The African Space Agency (AfSA) today inaugurated its headquarters in Cairo, in a new step towards "joint African action" in space research and to unify positions in international forums such as the UN.
The headquarters was inaugurated by Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelaty in a ceremony attended by numerous representatives of the African Union (AU) and foreign ambassadors, according to a statement from the Egyptian foreign minister's department.
"This step represents a crucial milestone on the path of joint African work and a qualitative leap towards possessing the tools of the future, especially in the domains of technology and space policies," said the minister in his opening speech, in which he welcomed the fact that the headquarters is located in his country.
Abdelaty also argued that the fact that the headquarters was established in Cairo is due to the “deep conviction of Egypt’s pioneering role” on the continent, further explaining that the Government has made efforts to establish the agency and embody the “Africa We Want” vision of Development Agenda 2063.
The official said the agency will serve as "a platform to strengthen cooperation among African countries in the peaceful use of space, exchange experiences, develop capacities and unify African positions in international forums, especially within the UN framework."
Furthermore, AfSA seeks to address the challenges facing the African continent through information collection and analysis, as well as applied programs in areas such as food security, crop production and distribution, ecosystems and biodiversity.
The inauguration of the headquarters represents the culmination of the African Space Policy and Strategy adopted in January 2016 by the AU Assembly.
AfSA will be the main entity coordinating Africa’s space cooperation with Europe and other international agencies, with the aim of improving space missions across the continent and ensuring optimized access to space data, information, services and products.
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