The Secure World Foundation has announced the names of the young professionals who have won scholarships for travel funding to the 2019 International Astronautical Congress (IAC) scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C, U.S.A. As the premier space conference in the world, the IAC offers a unique opportunity for young professionals to further their professional development and inject new ideas into the space community.

The Foundation notes that in a bid to clinch the scholarship, over 60 abstracts were sent in by young professionals from around the world. After a rigorous scoring and evaluation process, the Foundation selected 12 winners who will receive scholarships to travel and attend the IAC, where they will present conference papers based on the abstracts submitted during the competition. Two Africans, whose profiles are highlighted below, were among the elite winners.

Agbadi Mustapha Eleyawa

Agbadi Mustapha Eleyawa is a Nigerian Space Lawyer and the former Regional Executive Secretary (Africa) of the Space Generation Advisory Council in Support of the United Nations Programme on Space Applications. Abadi’s passion towards the development of youth capacity building within the African space industry has been highly inspired by Dr Halilu Shaba Ahmad and Dr Francis Chizea, both of the Nigeria Space Agency. Abadi’s future career interest lies in the development of legal regimes and space policies, with a specific interest in Space Debris, Moon Mining and Space Tourism. Mr Eleyawa’s IAC paper is titled “Bridging The Gap Of Space Infrastructural Deficit In Africa Through Private Finance Initiatives”.

Julius Mbuvi Kimani

Julius Kimani is from Kenya and is currently based in the nation’s capital, Nairobi. He is a third-year undergraduate student at the University of Nairobi, pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in Astronomy and Astrophysics. Mr Kimani’s IAC paper is titled “Earth observation for sustainable development in Africa: Through the adoption of cost-effective nano-satellite programs to attain data democracy and achieve sustainable development goals in Africa”.

To view the comprehensive list of winners, click here.