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Africa on its way to the stars

Under the leadership of Matthias Wachter, BDI Head of Department and Managing Director of the BDI NewSpace Initiative, BDI is intensifying its commitment to Africa and NewSpace. The "14th NewSpace Breakfast" in Berlin took place under the motto "NewSpace goes Africa". Matthias Wachter summarizes his impressions.

"When I talk about NewSpace as a game changer for Africa's development, I often see big question marks on many faces. Many people first think of space travel in terms of crazy billionaires, space tourism and the colonization of the moon and Mars. But NewSpace is about much more. NewSpace, the commercialization of space and its increasing integration with the non-space economy, is the backbone of modern societies in the IoT era.

NewSpace enables the construction of satellite constellations that bring fast internet to remote regions of Africa. This can reduce the digital divide, improve access to education and information, enable participation in global value chains, and create new business opportunities.

NewSpace can help monitor natural disasters such as droughts, floods and forest fires. Satellite imagery and data analysis can be used to develop early warning systems and deploy resources more efficiently. Satellite data can be used to improve agricultural practices, predict crop yields, and optimize the use of water and soil resources. This can help increase agricultural productivity and strengthen food security in the region. NewSpace is therefore part of the solution to Africa's key challenges.

Teddy Soobramanien, CEO of the COMESA Business Council, emphasized how important it is to raise awareness among governments of the opportunities that NewSpace offers for Africa's development. What many people are not yet aware of is that Africa is not only a user of space data and services, but also has its own dynamic space industry. 20 African countries have their own space strategy, 15 countries have a total of more than 50 satellites in space, and 270 African companies are active in the space business.

This summer, for example, NewSpace company SayariLabs launched Kenya's first earth observation satellite manufactured in Kenya into space. Rose Wanjiku, aerospace engineer at SayariLabs, made it clear to us: Space is increasingly developing into an interesting market in which African companies can and will get involved.

I look forward to continuing the exchange with exciting African and German NewSpace start-ups. Let's reach for the stars together."

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