18 African Countries Are Building Their Own Space Programmes to Cut Western Reliance

African nations are reaching for the stars without depending too much on Western countries—at least, that's the goal for the near future. Eighteen African countries have now built satellites, so they can compete in the ongoing space activities dominated by the US and China.

According to the Africa Center for Strategic Studies, 21 satellites are running dedicated space programs within the continent. Egypt, South Africa, Algeria, Nigeria and Morocco are said to be leading the pack in terms of satellite infrastructure and technology.

Egypt's Space Projects With China

The African Space Agency (AfSA) headquarters is located in Egypt, which is making a lot of headway in space-related work. Egypt is also partnering with China, which is working to integrate telecommunications, intelligence and military command, among others, through space.

Egypt is China's main industrial testing ground for the project. According to the Egyptian Ministry of International Cooperation, Cairo has received Chinese grants amounting to $92 million (£67 million) for the development of EgyptSat-2, the nation's second remote-sensing Earth observation satellite.

Cairo's own Egyptian Space Agency as well as the AfSA headquarters are in a compound called Egypt's Space City. This is where assembly, integration and testing of satellites happen, as well as monitoring and research.

Practical Utilities

While the goal is to join the space race, Africa's goal includes practical investment for Earth-related activities through affordable satellite technology. Practical solutions include monitoring of crops, livestock, weather, water levels and communication through satellites in orbit.

Such monitoring practices could improve planning and disaster response. Africa is home to many floods, droughts, and sometimes cyclones and storms. This is why African nations are constantly advancing their space research and studies because they can tailor them based on their needs, as opposed to depending on Western technology.

One piece of evidence of how serious Africa is in its space investment is Senegal only launched its first satellite two years ago. Now, it is building its second satellite with plans of eventually having six to 12.

Space Economy By the Numbers

According to the 2025 African Space Industry Annual Report, the African space economy is estimated to be worth $24.95 billion (£18.3 billion) by 2030. In 2021, the valuation was at $19.49 billion (£14.3 billion). By the end of this year, it is estimated to reach $22.64 billion (£16.61 billion).

The 2026 estimate would exceed the annual projection by $2.31 billion (£1.7 billion). The compound annual growth rate is 7.9%.

Such an advancement is driven by sovereignty. As African space business analyst Mustapha Iderawumi said: 'The continent is no longer merely participating in the space race; it is defining its own path with clarity, purpose, and accelerating capability. From the operationalisation of the AfSA to ambitious infrastructure projects and the maturation of commercial space ventures, 2026 promises to be a landmark year.'

But AfSA is still in its infancy. It was launched on 20 April 2025 at the Egypt Space City in Cairo. It is still in the staffing and framework stages and is yet to execute any major mission. Still, it is a promising start, as AfSA will become a central body that promotes space initiatives and collaboration across the region.