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The African Union (AU) is hosting eight events at Expo 2020 Dubai. With one event each week, the AU hopes to highlight the continent’s investment opportunities and reshape the general world view of Africa, the least not being, science and technology development on the continent.
“From the onset, we set our sights on showcasing the incredible and continued opportunities that lie across the African continent,” remarked Dr. Levi Uche Madueke, the AU Expo Commissioner General.
“We are hitting the ground running. Our Expo 2020 Dubai activities further advance the cause of fulfilling the aspirations of Agenda 2063,” he said reassuring all visitors of ‘a great show of marvel and awe.’
As part of the AU events, Africa’s Center for Disease Control (CDC) will be showcasing its work. The CDC is this year celebrating its fifth anniversary. It is also expected that a large number of African diaspora will gather to explore collaborative opportunities with the continent. There will also be Inter-faith dialogues as well as a high-level CEO roundtable.
Here is the African Union’s List of Events at Expo 2020 Dubai:
- Spotlights on Africa | Great Museum of Africa 09 – 11 February
- Spotlights on Africa | Climate-Resilient Solutions for Greater Food Security 22 February
- Africa Day (Honour Day) 27 February
- Evaluating and Building Resilient Health in Africa with the Africa CDC 1 March
- Spotlight on Africa | African Diaspora talks 2 – 3 March
- Spotlight on Africa | Inter-Faith Dialogue 7 – 10 March
- Spotlight on Africa | Africa CEO Roundtables 14 – 15 March
- Spotlight on Africa | Prioritising Free Movement of Persons 15 – 17 March
Scientific Africa: The African Space Agency
The theme of Expo 2020 Dubai is Connecting Minds and Creating the Future, so what other way to honour ‘creation of the future’ than showcasing space marvels and the benefits of outer space research and exploration towards better understanding how the solar system impacts life on earth?
In this regard, Africa is not to be left behind. Creation of the African Space Agency, that will have its headquarters in Egypt, is but a speck towards unveiling the continent’s true science and technology potential.
While the continent may lag behind in hardware, it is rich in human resources. With continued international cooperation, Africa is quickly building labs within which African scientists are making great strides, the most recent being the African Space Agency.
Pioneers of the agency have taken center stage at Expo 2022 Dubai, proving that Africa is well-positioned to take part in the world’s $7.37 billion space technology and application services industry.
In a press release to the media issued by the AU, the continent’s apex body resolved that the use of space-based products and services to provide critical spatial information for decision-making purposes, would contribute to realizing the AU Africa outer space strategy as envisioned by Agenda 2063.
Space technology and exploration is a catalyst for development and advocacy for international co-operation through new coalitions and partnerships within the space sector is vital and Africa cannot afford to be left out.
Speaking for Africa’s Space program was Dr. Tidiane Ouattara. The African Union’s Space Science expert led discussions centered around benefits of space exploration and the identified challenges in the pursuit of exploring beyond the planet’s orbit.
“Africa can assume authority of the many new opportunities offered by its geographic advantages, and become a global space player, and the activities of this week have amplified and communicated this message to the world,” Dr. Ouattara said.
Siding with the space scientist was Dr. Mahama Ouedraogo who is the Director of the Department of Education, Science, Technology & Innovation (ESTI) at the African Union Commission.
Dr. Ouedraogo was assertive in Africa’s space exploration participation saying the development benefits for Africa are infinite. “Active participation in the development of space-related applications and services will enable the continent to address its development challenges, helping meet the objectives of Agenda 2063, and make significant contributions towards the implementation of the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa,” he said.
Notably, the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa (STISA) Agenda 2024 places science, technology and innovation at the epi-centre of Africa’s socio-economic development and growth.
Dr. Ouedraogo, representing the Education, Science, Tech & Innovation Department, went on to point out that space science is part of the department’s strategic objective to contribute to human capital development in Africa.
“It is through the development of education, science, technology and innovation that we can best contribute to Africa’s development and improvement of our people’s social welfare,” he said.
The African Union Executive Council approved the structure of the African Space Agency (AfSA) during their 26th Ordinary Session in January of 2016. This marked the continent’s commitment to realize an African Outer Space Program, as one of the flagship programs of the AU Agenda 2063.
The African Union Heads of State and Government met in Addis Ababa that same year and adopted the African Space Policy and Strategy.
The AfSA building will be built in Egypt and is expected to commence operations this year. What is pending is the appointment of the leadership and workforce of the agency. In addition, the Pan African University of Space Science and Technology that is currently being hosted by South Africa has also been approved.
It would surprise many that there are already several space research organizations in Africa. In fact, according to the Business and Market Analysis of the African Space Industry a report issued by Space in Africa, a media, analytics and consulting company in Lagos, Nigeria, over $3 billion has been spent on space projects in Africa since 1998.
Among African countries with space programs are, but are not limited to, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Sudan.
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