Dakar, the capital of Senegal, will be the scene of a major event from October 24 to 26, 2023. Indeed, the first edition of the African Union-European Union (AU-EU) International Forum on Space Dialogue will be held in this city . This forum is an opportunity for Senegal to highlight its expectations and ambitions in the space field, just like other countries and institutions on the African continent.
The choice of Dakar as the venue for the forum is not insignificant. Senegalese President Macky Sall has made space one of the pillars of his development plan, the Plan Senegal Emergent (PSE). Last year, a Space Studies Agency was created, the 22nd on the African continent. However, despite these advances, the space field still remains unknown to the general public.
Maram Kairé, director of the Senegalese Agency for Space Studies (Ases), underlines the importance of communication during this event: “This is a key moment for communication. We must show not only that the Senegal has made the decision to become a space nation, but also that we must massively explain to the populations the concrete applications of space.”
Among these possible applications and collaborations, the European Commission’s IRIS² (Resilience and Secure Interconnection Satellite Infrastructure) program is an example. This is a constellation of satellites that will allow African governments and businesses to access new data from 2024.
For Jean-Marc Pisani, European Union Ambassador to Senegal, it is essential to support this development: “It is the future in areas that have important implications for Africa, such as climate change, early warning systems for natural disasters and fisheries monitoring. It is therefore important for the European Union to support this movement.”
This forum should be held alternately between Europe and Africa, in order to promote cooperation and exchanges in the space sector.
It is clear that the space sector in Africa is booming, with the African space industry valued at over US$20 billion and employing over 18,000 people. The next step is the effective launch of the African Space Agency (ASAf), created in January 2023 by the African Union. The ASAF’s mission will be to coordinate all space activities on the continent, to create a regulatory framework and to develop national capacities in the space domain.
In conclusion, the AU-EU International Forum on Space Dialogue which will be held in Dakar is a privileged opportunity to highlight the ambitions of Senegal and Africa in the space domain. This collaboration with the European Union and the creation of the ASAF demonstrate the desire of African actors to take an active part in this new space era.. It is essential to communicate massively on space applications to raise awareness among populations and promote the sustainable development of the African continent.