Nigeria, Rwanda Become First African Nations to Sign Artemis Accords

At the first ever U.S.-Africa Space Forum , Nigeria and Rwanda became the first African nations to sign the Artemis Accords. Participants in the Forum, which was part of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit, discussed how to further shared goals through the peaceful exploration and use of outer space.

Nigeria and Rwanda became the first African countries to sign the Artemis Accords on space cooperation with the US during the US-Africa Leaders Summit at the US-Africa Space Forum in Washington DC.

Nigeria's Communications and Digital Economy Minister Isa Ali Ibrahim represented Nigeria on Tuesday, while Rwanda Space Agency CEO Francis Ngabo represented Rwanda.

The Artemis Accords, signed by Rwanda and Nigeria, are "a set of principles to guide the next phase in space exploration, reinforcing and providing for important operational implementation of key obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty".

The US-Africa Space Forum reaffirmed the US commitment to collaborating with African partners on the peaceful use and exploration of outer space to meet shared priorities on Earth.

It also seeks US-Africa space partnership and cooperation for the possibilities and challenges of the 21st century. These include the global food, biodiversity and climate crises, responsible space travel and enhancing US-Africa scientific and commercial space cooperation.

"The [Artemis] Accords affirm the importance of implementing best practices and norms of responsible behaviour, as well as compliance with the Registration Convention and the Rescue and Return Agreement," the White House Briefing Room said in a statement.

The US Department of State said:

The Accords now boast 23 signatories, spanning every corner of the globe and representing a diverse set of space interests and capabilities.

The other signatories are Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

The Rwanda Space Agency and ATLAS Space Operations will provide the international space community with a teleport and a sizable satellite antenna.

By 2029, logistics company Zipline will have made more than two million instant deliveries throughout Rwanda by utilising space data to expand its aerial logistics services to more government divisions in the country, including the health, agriculture, finance, e-commerce and tourism divisions.

With the help of numerous stakeholders, earth imaging company Planet Labs PBC will invest all over Africa to provide daily satellite imagery and geospatial solutions that support decision-making on drought risk reduction, forest management, and renewable energy sources, among other sustainability, economic, and resource management priorities.

Kenyan company ZEP-RE recently declared that it would collaborate with the World Bank to help the Horn of Africa region make informed decisions on drought danger by utilising satellite imagery.

Nigeria stated that the high-speed, low latency broadband service Starlink, owned by the world's richest man Elon Musk, was now available in the country, making Nigeria the first country in Africa with access to Starlink. Starlink will help Nigeria achieve its objective of delivering broadband access to all of its residents by 2025.

Meanwhile, several meetings were held on the sidelines of the forum between US officials and African heads of state.

Presidents Hassan Sheikh Mohamud of Somalia, Mohamed Bazoum of Niger and Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti met with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin.

Blinken and Austin made it clear that the US valued its allies' commitment to leadership and willingness to make sacrifices for regional security. They praised the three countries' close ties with US military forces, adding that there was a need for a comprehensive strategy to integrate sound governance, opportunities for economic growth, and human rights-abiding security forces.

Blinken and Austin also met with President Joao Lourenço of Angola and said the US valued its relations with Angola. They praised Lourenço's initiatives to promote stability in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's eastern region.

December 16, 2022