The 2025 NewSpace Africa Conference began on its first day with policy and strategy discussions, including the signing of the AU-EU Gateway programme.
Panel sessions examined the adoption and impact of space technologies across government agencies, commercial firms, and academic institutions.
On the second day, the conference continued with high-level keynote speeches, interactive sessions, and panel discussions.
Attendees also participated in B2B and B2C matchmaking opportunities and structured networking events.
The second day began on a high note with Dr Ayman Ahmed, Senior Director of the Egyptian Space Agency, moderating a session where representatives from five African nations Angola, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, and South Africa, provided updates on their space programmes.
Dr Tandoh confirmed that Ghana has finalised its National Space Policy and is collaborating with multiple ministries and agencies to implement it.
He stated that while plans were in place to transition GSSTI into the Ghana Space Agency, the government opted to pause and reassess the process to ensure full stakeholder alignment, particularly given the cross cutting implications for defence, civil governance, and legal frameworks.
He emphasised Ghana’s openness to strategic international partnerships to strengthen its space capabilities.
Dr Zolana detailed Angola’s progress with Angosat-2, highlighting its impact on national connectivity and revenue generation.
He reported that over 250 VSAT terminals have been installed nationwide, with 80% of C-band and 30% of Ku/Ka-band capacity already commercialised, targeting 60% utilisation soon.
Through the Connecta Angola Initiative, the satellite has provided connectivity to over 366,000 previously unserved citizens.
GGPEN’s AI-based satellite mapping solution expanded property tax coverage from 450,000 to over 11 million properties, significantly boosting government revenue.
He also noted capacity-building efforts, including 8,750 trained stakeholders and 40% of GGPEN’s experts now holding advanced degrees (Master’s/PhD).
Diouf detailed progress under the African Geodetic Reference Frame AFREF and ANGA SBAS initiative involving 18 African states. Key milestones include
Testbed deployments in Congo, Lome and Nigeria, validating SBAS accuracy for aviation.
Policy harmonisation to adopt ICAO standards for SBAS-enabled flight procedures.
Source: https://spaceinafrica.com/2025/04/23/excerpts-from-the-2025-newspace-africa-conference-day-two/
