Egypt inaugurated on Sunday the headquarters of the African Space Agency (AfSA) in the Egyptian Space City in Cairo. "Egypt
has made extensive efforts to establish the agency, which embodies the
vision of 'The Africa We Want' outlined in the African Union's Agenda
2063," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said at the inauguration
ceremony. He emphasized that the agency will serve as a platform
for enhancing cooperation among African countries in the peaceful uses
of space, exchanging expertise, building capacities, and unifying
African positions in international forums, particularly within the
framework of the United Nations. Abdelatty also highlighted the
importance of the agency's openness to cooperation with research
institutions, universities, and international space agencies, which
would contribute to establishing a strong African base in space science
and technology. For his part, Sherif Sedky, CEO of the Egyptian
Space Agency, said the inauguration of the AfSA marks a significant
milestone in the history of Africa. "The AfSA will serve as a beacon of innovation, collaboration, and progress for all African nations," he said. Meanwhile,
Huan Yiheng, cofounder of MinoSpace, a Beijing-based company focusing
on the engineering of advanced small satellites, said the agency is an
important platform for African nations to jointly develop their space
technology. "We want to explore potential cooperation with the AfSA and other African countries," Huan told Xinhua. Following
its inauguration, the AfSA will be the primary entity coordinating
Africa's space cooperation with Europe and other international partners.
A central objective of AfSA is to enhance space missions across Africa,
ensuring optimal access to space-derived data, information, services,
and products. Egypt was selected as the host nation of the AfSA in
2019 by the African Union after meeting the necessary political and
technical criteria.
Sherif Sedky, CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency,
gives a speech during the inauguration ceremony of the African Space
Agency in the Egyptian Space City in Cairo, Egypt, on April 20, 2025.
(Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)
