Between January 13 and 23, the Egyptian Space Agency EgSA hosted a training programme under the African Development Satellite Initiative AfDev-Sat.
This initiative brought together 21 engineers and specialists from 20 African nations, marking a significant milestone in strengthening indigenous satellite development capabilities across the continent.
Titled Basic Space Technology and Satellite Systems Workshop, the programme was financially supported by the Italian government.
It aimed to equip participants with foundational knowledge and hands on experience in satellite technology, addressing critical gaps in Africa’s space sector.
The participating countries included Angola, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The initiative sought to empower these nations by building technical expertise and fostering regional collaboration in space technology.
For the active space practitioners, we first need to create awareness at every level, including and, more importantly, at the grassroots level. Often, you realise that young people are oblivious that the space ecosystem is much bigger than the upstream sector.
In addition, others do not believe that job opportunities exist in the industry.
They need to be made aware of the illimitable opportunities across the ecosystem.
So proper awareness and further sensitisation are required to reorientate them.
However, a more critical look at the issue revealed that such sensitisation needs to start from the ground up, starting with the elementary level.
Young students often shy away from STEM courses, and it’s easier to reorient them at that age.
It is also essential to explain the broad spectrum of job opportunities and encourage them to take up courses that will enable them to become certified engineers, technicians, meteorologists and geologists, focusing on the upstream segments and becoming computer scientists, data analysts, data engineers, and developers software and apps, lawyers, technical writer, project managers, etc., focusing on the downstream segment.
I advise young Africans aspiring to enter the space industry to stay curious and proactive.
Seek opportunities for learning and networking, such as internships, online courses, and industry events.
The space sector is evolving rapidly, and there’s a growing demand for skilled professionals.
Source: https://spaceinafrica.com/2025/02/07/building-africas-space-future-an-engineers-journey-through-egypts-satellite-training-programme/
