The 2025 NewSpace Africa Conference has marked a key moment in Africa’s space journey, beginning with the landmark inauguration of the African Space Agency AfSA that set the stage for all subsequent discussions.
Over four dynamic days, more than 550 delegates representing over 300 institutions from 65 countries engaged in robust exchanges, sharing lived experiences and strategic insights to drive the continent’s space sector forward.
This gathering has created a vital platform for Africa to accelerate its space capabilities while ensuring efficient resource allocation across the entire industry value chain.
The conference exhibition emerged as a vibrant hub of innovation and collaboration, featuring 36 leading global institutions that showcased the cutting edge of space technology.
Visitors explored groundbreaking advancements across satellite communications, Earth observation systems, navigation technologies, and space based connectivity solutions.
Beyond mere product displays, the exhibition floor buzzed with strategic deal-making as industry professionals, government representatives, and investors forged new partnerships.
The exhibition, which included B2B/B2G meetings, catalysed tangible business opportunities, with participants engaging in hands on demonstrations of next-generation technologies while exploring collaborative ventures that promise to shape Africa’s and the global space economy.
Beyond infrastructure, James Barrington-Brown, Founder and Global Chairman of NewSpace Systems, and other panellists explored the broader socioeconomic impact of spaceport development, from high tech job creation to promoting ancillary industries like advanced manufacturing and logistics.
Discussions also addressed critical challenges, including regulatory harmonisation across African nations, environmental safeguards for launch sites, and the importance of public-private partnerships to secure investment.
Panellists agreed that while the path forward requires collaboration with established spacefaring nations, Africa must prioritise local capacity building to ensure long term sustainability.
Closing the 2025 NewSpace Africa Conference, Dr Temidayo Oniosun, Managing Director of Space in Africa, delivered heartfelt closing remarks, expressing deep appreciation to all stakeholders who made the event a resounding success.
He extended special thanks to the Egyptian Government, African Space Agency AfSA and Egyptian Space Agency EgSA as key implementing partners, alongside sponsors, exhibitors, delegates, and attendees whose collective engagement enriched the discussions.
Reflecting on the conference’s outcomes, Dr Oniosun emphasised that the real work begins now, translating dialogue into action.
He urged government representatives, policymakers, and commercial space actors to return home with actionable insights and best practices, accelerating Africa’s efforts to build robust space ecosystems.
The time for implementation is here, he declared, calling for unified collaboration to ensure Africa swiftly develops all foundational pillars, from infrastructure to regulation, and claims its rightful place as a dynamic participant in the global space arena.
Source: https://spaceinafrica.com/2025/04/24/closing-day-of-the-2025-newspace-africa-conference-excerpts/
