A high-level gathering of industry leaders, commercial space companies, investors and other key stakeholders in the African space and satellite industry, the New Space Africa Conference in Luanda, Angola, is allowing ESA’s Dunia platform to soar.
A high-level gathering of industry leaders, commercial space companies, investors and other key stakeholders in the African space and satellite industry, the New Space Africa Conference in Luanda, Angola, is allowing ESA’s Dunia platform to soar.
With more African countries participating in space, investing in space enterprises and giving rise to the continual growth of various industry segments, the African space industry was valued at USD 19.49 billion in 2021, and is projected to grow by 16.16% by 2026.
Furthermore, Africa is home to over 270 New Space companies, which continue to develop space technologies and offer space-enabled services to address market demands in various sectors, including telecommunications, defence, security, maritime, aviation, mining, agriculture, environment, development, education and health.
The measurable impact of these industry developments points to the continent’s potential for more remarkable exploits and opportunities in the space business and an overall increase in the quality of national economies, innovations, industries and sustainability on the continent.
Within this context, the 4-day conference is taking place from 2 to 5 April 2024, featuring selected keynotes, interactive sessions, panel discussions, business pitches, B2B matchmaking, B2C matchmaking and unique networking opportunities.
ESA’s Dunia platform is an all-in-one, easy to use platform for processing and disseminating Earth observation data over Africa, which also works on mobile phones.
By building the framework for the African EO community, Dunia aims to enable users to exchange data and applications, allowing their capacity to stay in Africa.
Besides hosting trainings and webinars, GeoVille supports hackathons by providing not just free resources but also the knowledge of how to utilise Earth observation data over Africa to increase the size of the African EO community.
Dunia easily filters to find what interests the user, whether they built an app or data by using Dunia's Application Hub, they can also promote it. Accessing and sharing Earth observation products becomes easier, potentially encouraging innovation and collaboration across Africa and beyond.
The conference is hosting esteemed guests like Professor Mohammed Belhocine, Commissioner for Education, Science, Technology, and Innovation (ESTI) of the African Union; Mario Augusto da Silva Oliveira, Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies, and Social Communication (MINTTICS) of Angola; and Dr Tidiane Ouattara, African Union Commission Space Science Expert and GMES & Africa Programme Coordinator.
