PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES OF BUILDING CAPACITY FOR SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA

The need to build indigenous capacity in Space Science and Technology (SST) in Africa, especially in core areas such as information communication technology (ICT), navigation and Earth observation systems for geo-information production and management, cannot be overemphasised. ICT and geospatial information remain the bedrock for the development of the various sectors of the economy including petroleum and energy, solid minerals, agriculture, water resources management, weather forecast, aviation, transport, environmental and disaster management/monitoring, defence and security, tourism, population census, telecommunication, education and health. Capacity building to enhance the use of space and geographic information systems (GIS) technologies in planning, project execution, decision-making and good governance has become sine-qua-non in Africa's sustainable development efforts. In recent times, there have been increasing interests by some African countries in SST development and the development of geospatial data infrastructure (GDI). Lately, GI-specific issues and events have brought to the front burner the need for proactive capacity development in the use of geospatial technology in Africa. Accordingly and in responce to these needs, three African countries, Algeria (2002), Nigeria (2003) and South Africa (2008) launched their own Earth observation satellites, thereby joining the league of 'sensing' countries and moving Africa out of the former class of being totally a 'sensed' continent. South Africa has been involved in space technology development, particularly in the area of astronomy for a long time, while the Egyptian Nilesat (a communication satellite) and Morocco's shared experience in Arabsat are also part of the aspirations towards the development of competence within the African continent. These efforts are associated with some forms of capacity building in astronomy and satellite technology development. Do the efforts constitute the bedrock for furure development in the space enterprise? What are the prospects for the requisite knowledge generation, development and sharing through regional and international cooperation? What specific roles should the tertiary institutions and the existing Centres of Excellence play in this endevour. What challenges needs to be overcome? These and other related issues are discussed in this paper.