Picture source : https://africanspaceagency.org/photo-gallery/
Cairo, Egypt, 12 May 2025 –
In a landmark move to strengthen intercontinental cooperation in space technologies, the African Union Commission (AUC) and the European Union (EU) officially launched the Africa–EU Space Partnership Programme during the 2025 NewSpace Conference held in Cairo, Egypt.
This strategic partnership aims to deepen collaboration between Africa and Europe in space technologies, applications, and services. It is part of the EU’s broader Global Gateway strategy, which seeks to mobilize up to €300 billion in investments for high-quality, sustainable infrastructure projects worldwide. Launched in 2021, the Global Gateway initiative targets key sectors such as digital, energy, transport, health, education, and research, with a strong focus on inclusive and sustainable development.
Advancing Africa’s Space Ambitions
During the launch event, H.E. Commissioner Mr. Moses Vilakati praised the AU–EU partnership for addressing several of the African Union’s strategic objectives. These include the Integrated African Strategy on Meteorology (Weather, Water and Climate Services), the AU Climate Change and Resilient Development Strategy, and the African Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The foundation for Africa’s continental space ambitions was laid in January 2016, when the African Union Assembly adopted the African Space Policy and Strategy. This critical milestone established a framework to harness space technologies for achieving the AU’s vision of an integrated, prosperous, and peaceful Africa. The strategy emphasized the importance of space in sustainable development, climate monitoring, disaster management, and socio-economic growth.
In 2017, the African Space Agency Act was approved, setting the legal and regulatory groundwork for managing space activities across the continent. It led to the creation of the African Space Agency (AfSA), whose mandate includes satellite development, space science education, and fostering international partnerships.
Egypt at the Heart of Africa’s Space Future
Egypt was selected as the host country for AfSA during the 32nd Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly in 2019. Egypt’s Space City—a 123-acre, state-of-the-art facility—is now home to AfSA’s headquarters. On January 25, 2023, a formal agreement was signed between the Egyptian government and the AUC to inaugurate the agency. The Egyptian Parliament later approved Presidential Decision No. 2023/213, officially enabling Egypt to host the headquarters.
Space City is expected to be a continental hub for innovation, research, and capacity-building in space science. The initiative will also stimulate Egypt’s space industry and support SMEs working in the sector. AfSA will play a vital role in aligning space activities with Africa’s Agenda 2063, the continent’s long-term blueprint for socio-economic transformation.
Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash
Programme Overview: 2025–2028
The Africa–EU Space Partnership Programme is scheduled to run from 2025 to 2028, with a strong focus on three thematic priorities: climate, environment and energy; sustainable growth; and job creation. With a funding commitment of €45 million from the European Union, the programme will be implemented through close collaboration between African and European partners.
Key institutions involved in the initiative include the African Space Agency (AfSA), the African Union (AU), the Agency for Aerial Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA), the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). The programme will leverage cutting-edge European space assets such as the Copernicus Earth observation system and the Galileo and EGNOS satellite navigation services to address Africa’s pressing development challenges. These technologies are expected to support environmental monitoring, sustainable land and water resource management, and capacity building in space science and technology across the continent.
Photo by NASA Hubble Space Telescope on Unsplash
Global Partnerships Expand AfSA’s Reach
AfSA has also begun forming significant international partnerships, marking a new chapter in Africa’s participation in global space affairs. Recently signed cooperation agreements with the European Space Agency, the United Arab Emirates Space Agency, and Roscosmos, the Russian Federation’s space agency, represent the agency’s first formal collaborations beyond the continent.
The partnership with ESA focuses on Earth observation programmes that support climate monitoring and natural resource management, along with joint training initiatives for African space professionals and institutional development support for AfSA. Collaboration with the UAE Space Agency centres on small satellite development and academic exchanges between African and Emirati space institutions. Meanwhile, the agreement with Roscosmos includes technical consultations on launch capabilities, collaborative space science research, and discussions around the potential involvement of African astronauts in future space missions.
These international alliances reinforce AfSA’s strategic position as a rising player in the global space ecosystem. As only the second regional space agency in the world after ESA, AfSA is poised to take a leadership role in fostering space innovation, collaboration, and research across Africa and beyond.
Strategic Framework and Future Inauguration
The Africa–EU Space Partnership Programme forms part of the renewed EU–AU Space Dialogue, led by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Defence Industry and Space (DG DEFIS). This broader political and strategic framework is designed to ensure coherence and long-term alignment between Africa’s space development goals and the EU’s global strategy.
