Luanda – Angola is to host the third edition of the New Space Africa Conference from April 2 to 5 as the launch of ANGOSAT-2 satellite by the country on October 12, 2022 is one of the reasons why Luanda has been chosen to host it.
The information was disclosed Wednesday by the spokesperson of the conference and representative of the National Office for Space Management (GGPN), Gilberto Gomes, underlining that the Angolan government's investments in the space sector, with products and solutions developed since 2016, have attracted international attention.
These efforts by the government, Gomes said, has allowed Angola to be present on various international platforms for discussions in the area of space, such as the Committee for the Peaceful Exploration of Outer Space, a United Nations body.
He also pointed out that Angola has been admitted to the International Astronautical Congress and that, with the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, going to the United States of America in December 2023, an agreement was signed with Artemis, a space flight program, making it the 33rd nation to join the program.
Gilberto Gomes announced that the third edition of the Africa Space Conference 2024 will be attended for the first time by the American Space Agency (NASA), the world's largest in the sector.
The managing director of the company Space in Africa, Temidayo Oniosun, on his turn said he is proud of the performance and technologies that Angola has used to solve problems and that he believes that the GGPN is in a position to develop much more.
The Space Conference organized by the African Union, is expected to be attended by 400 people, 51 organizations from 44 countries and four continents, including space agencies, companies and start-ups.
It will provide dialogue between politicians, the biggest leaders and players in the field, entrepreneurs, entities and players in the space industry, sharing ideas for opportunities and consequently space development in Africa, with exhibitions, main panels and networking.
Valued at more than 100 million US dollars, the event will highlight the transformative potential of space initiatives in addressing socio-economic disparity in Africa.
The National Office for Space Management is responsible for managing projects that result in strong strides in the space industrial and satellite communication sector.
The United Nations 20/30 and African 20/63 agendas recommend the pursuit of space technology to achieve various technological goals.
The first edition of the Africa Space Conference was held in Kenya and the second in Côte d'Ivoire. ML/AC/AMP
