Space technology may be vital for the development of Africa, but, asks Koffi Kouakou, will African countries ever be more than consumers of space products?
LAST week, delegates gathered at the second United Nations regional conference on space technology for sustainable development to ponder the effective use of space technology for local needs in Africa.
They were mostly convinced that space technology was an important, if not essential, development tool and agreed on several areas where space technology could be used. Among them were communications and information technology, disaster prediction and management, education, energy, environmental management, food security, health care, rural and urban development, and transport.
The success of the conference could be measured in the large number of participants from Africa and other areas and the eagerness of African delegates to learn from each other and explore the use of the science to help develop their countries. Moreover, the conference raised some awareness in Southern Africa of the usefulness of space science and education.
But as they gathered to explore the way forward, a few questions came to mind. Where do we go from here? How will the recommendations of this meeting be put into practice? And most importantly: will Africans ever be more than consumers of space technology products?
The experience of India provides some good answers. India is arguably one of the most impressive cases of space science development.
It has managed to raise space science to a level never before attained in a developing country to address disaster relief, food security issues, crop and weather monitoring, and many other areas. Today, India is a producer and exporter of space products.
The first step for Africa in following this example is to enlist political motivation for the use of space technology to address local needs. Political leaders in African countries have to be seen to support space science.
The other critical ingredient for success is the mastery of the economics of space technology. To accomplish this, African countries have to collaborate with resource- rich countries. But they must pay their way in the partnership, by allocating funds for space science within their national budgets.
And if an African regional space technology consortium is created, African leaders should avoid addressing multiple-purpose development issues. They should tackle common, unique and cross-border issues so that resources are used effectively.
The focus should not simply be on developing satellites. Owning a satellite does not guarantee that local needs will be met. The important thing is the effective use of satellite products.
A French strategic management specialist once said: “Unfortunately, human souls and minds are not fully readable from outer space.” Will space technology help solve development problems in Africa? Perhaps the answers don’t really lie out there, but down here, within human beings. Space proponents must ensure that they develop human potential..
Koffi Kouakou is Co-ordinator of the Program on Environment Information Systems in Sub- Saharan Africa, A World Bank Initiative