The European Commission has announced the Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme, an initiative, backed by a €100 million (about US$103.8 million) investment, that, the EU says, forms a critical part of its Global Gateway strategy to deepen space cooperation between the EU and Africa.
The programme will focus on three key priorities. It will advance the green transition by developing space-based services that enhance early warning systems for hazardous weather and climate-related events.
It will also strengthen institutional collaboration between the EU and African nations to enhance decision-making and improve policy frameworks in the space sector.
Finally, the programme will strengthen the private sector by enhancing the capabilities of the space industry, driving innovation, and fostering a dynamic space-based data economy to promote sustainable growth across the continent. With this in mind, it will actively engage European private companies in areas such as service provision, capacity building and innovation.
The Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme leverages European space technologies to support Africa’s sustainable development in sectors like agriculture, climate monitoring, and disaster risk reduction.
It relies on Copernicus, a programme looking at our planet and its environment, for Earth observation, along with Galileo, the EU´s Global Navigation Satellite System, and EGNOS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service, for improved navigation. It also aims to support Africa’s space ambitions through the African Space Policy and Strategy.
Initiatives like the GMES & Africa (another Earth observation programme) enable access to and utilisation of crucial satellite data to develop applications in the fields of land, water, and natural resources, and marine and coastal areas.
By increasing the uptake of space-based data and fostering institutional and private sector capacity the EC says the programme will empower African countries to monitor environmental changes more effectively and reduce risks from natural disasters through advanced early warning systems.
It will also support sustainable economic growth, including through safer air traffic management enabled by the development of Africa’s satellite navigation system.