As we enter 2025, the global space race is evolving rapidly.
Once dominated by the United States and Russia, space has become a key arena for China’s military, commercial, and geopolitical ambitions.
China’s deepening partnerships with African nations through satellite infrastructure investments and space cooperation offer transformative opportunities for development, from improved connectivity to enhanced disaster monitoring.
These partnerships also reflect a broader strategy of using space diplomacy to secure a foothold in one of the world’s fastest growing regions.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk’s political ascendancy in the United States underscores the growing importance of space in national security and technological leadership.
China’s expanding space footprint, including increasing involvement in Africa, adds new urgency to questions about the intersection of technology, development, and geopolitics.
African countries increasingly view space technologies as critical to achieving the African Union’s Africa 2063 strategy.
The development of satellites and related infrastructure opens solutions to key challenges in agriculture, natural resource management, disaster response, and connectivity.
The African Union has elevated the African Outer Space Programme to a key flagship project to accelerate Africa’s economic growth and development.
The African Space Agency AfSA, headquartered in Egypt, was inaugurated in 2023 and the African space economy, currently valued at over US$19 billion, is projected to grow by more than 16% by 2026, making the continent a key frontier for space infrastructure development.
Source: https://odi.org/en/about/our-work/global-china-2049-initiative/chinas-expanding-role-in-space-in-africa-geostrategic-implications/
