On April 3, 2024, the second day of the NewSpace Africa Conference in Luanda, Angola, stakeholders from the United States of America and African governments, civil society, and industry will convene in a high-level meeting to foster space partnerships and commerce. This meeting continues strengthening the symbiotic relationship between the two regions in space-related endeavours.
The high-level discussion will build upon key takeaways from previous meetings between both parties, which have positively assessed the potential for space activities to impact people’s lives across geographical and financial boundaries. Previous meetings include the US-Africa Commercial Space Stakeholders Meeting in October 2023, the US-Africa Space Forum in December 2022, and various sector-specific webinars and programmes addressing clean energy and climate change.
This session will feature distinguished speakers from both regions, including H.E. Prof Mohamed Belhocine, the Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation at the African Union Commission; Hon. Don Graves, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce; Hon Bill Nelson, Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); Gabriel Swiney, Director of the Policy, Advocacy, and International Division at the Office of Space Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce; Rose Croshier, Office of Space Commerce, U.S. Department of Commerce; Dr Tidiane Ouattara, Chair of the Africa Space Council at the African Union Commission; Rosalie Daniels, Foreign Affairs Officer at the Office of Space Affairs (OES/SA), U.S. Department of State; Lt Col Matthew Collins, Liaison to U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM), U.S. Space Command; Dr Danielle Wood, U.S. Programme Lead at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); Dr Zolana Joao, General Manager of the Angolan Management Office for the National Space Programme (GGPEN); Heather McLeod, Senior Commercial Officer at the U.S. International Trade Administration, U.S. Embassy Luanda, Angola; Charity Weeden, Associate Administrator at the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS), NASA; and Meshack Ndirutu, Space Applications Trainer at ESTI-AUC.
The United States has been actively promoting bilateral trade and investment partnerships with Africa to enhance Africa’s participation in the global economy, foster innovation and entrepreneurship, and advance critical sectors such as the space and satellite industry. This meeting will spotlight critical areas of collaboration within the African space market that the US can capitalise on, how African governments can bolster trade and investment-enabling environments, and how to promote opportunities for Africans and Americans to engage in joint space endeavours to foster development. Additionally, the United States’s strategy to support and mobilise private capital to fuel business growth, job creation, and greater U.S. participation in the African space ecosystem will be discussed.
Discussions will also focus on aligning U.S. space cooperation with the unique needs of African countries by defining models that incorporate tailored solutions to address each nation’s specific requirements rather than adopting a one-size-fits-all approach.
Source: https://africanews.space/us-africa-session-on-space-cooperation-trade-and-sustainability-to-be-held-during-the-2024-newspace-africa-conference/
