The African Astronomical Society (AfAS) 2024 annual conference and business meeting was held in Marrakech, Morocco, from April 15 to 20, 2024. It was hosted by Cadi Ayyad University and the Oukaimeden Observatory and co-organised by AfAS committees and partners. The conference showcased expert speakers, pertinent stakeholders, influential figures, and dedicated astronomy professionals dedicated to furthering the objectives of AfAS and its science strategy. 

The five-day conference centred on advancing astronomy research, outreach, communication, and educational initiatives in Africa while fostering collaboration among nations. It encompassed 31 sessions, covering education and outreach, updates, impacts of African astronomical organisations, collaborations, and technical sessions on planetary astronomy. 

Here is a recap of the discussions held over the five days.

During the special session on Africa-Europe Astronomy Collaborations, David Baratoux, Coordinator of the European team, Planetary Scientists and Geologists, and Senior Scientist at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development presented perspectives and feedback regarding the cooperation between Europe and Africa in planetary sciences. He emphasised Africa’s significant assets in planetary sciences but highlighted obstacles hindering EU-Africa collaborations in astronomy. These barriers include isolating some African scientific communities from the international community, reliance on external funding, and insufficient understanding of economic spin-offs. Despite these challenges, the Africa-EU collaboration aims to promote scientific diplomacy, expand funding opportunities for astronomical and planetary science projects, and create a conducive platform for mutual benefits for astronomers.

Furthermore, David discussed the African initiative for planetary and space science (AFIPS), Phase One (2018-2023), an informal international network of African planetary scientists driven by the participants’ vision. He outlined key scientific achievements of the society, including Senegal’s historical contributions to solar system exploration, the establishment of meteor monitoring stations in North and West Africa (Morocco, Burkina Faso, Senegal), investigations of African impact structures (Bosumtwi, Aouelloul, Velingara), and the ongoing search for potential impact structures in Africa.

On Phase 2, David discussed the participation of several organisations, including the Research Institute for Development, the National Center for Scientific Research, 11 African countries, 13 African research centres, six associations, nine research centres in France, and the African Astronomical Society. The objectives of this phase encompass remote sensing geological mapping of planetary surfaces, impact science and meteorites, space weather and space physics, and astronomical observations. The overarching goal is to inspire a new generation of African scientists, provide training for students and young researchers, and stimulate research activities.

In addition, David highlighted the roadmap for 2024, which includes expanding the Meteor Camera Network in Senegal, initiating meteorite studies in Ghana, conducting geological mapping of planetary surfaces in Tunisia, and enhancing capacity at the Besely Observatory in Madagascar in support of the astronomy festival in Mahajunga.

Rob Adam, Managing Director of the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO), delved into discussions surrounding consultancy on the Africa strategy. Over the past year, he provided insights into SKAO’s activities and stressed its long-term vision of deploying remote sensing stations post-2030. Adam highlighted establishing the African programme as part of SKA’s global expansion initiative. He mentioned that the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry Network (AVN) aims to construct SKA-MID-type antennas and develop training infrastructure. Moreover, he discussed the possibility of SKA infrastructures being implemented across Africa, with ongoing consultations among SKA member countries to gather their perspectives on the Africa programme. Additionally, Adam mentioned the high likelihood of collaboration between SKA and the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO).

Carla Mitchell, Africa Programme Manager at the South African Radio Astronomy, discussed various initiatives within the African Radio Astronomy Programme and the pillars of the African Programme Strategy. She highlighted strategic interventions planned between 2024 and 2026. Some key interventions included SARAO providing partner countries with 140 bursaries to date, including 71 sponsored by DARA. The VBLI Training Telescope project aims to be implemented with the DARA programme team to facilitate training in single-dish and interferometry science, maintenance, and operations. Another initiative discussed was the TART training telescope, which was also in partnership with the DARA programme team and aimed at providing training opportunities. Additionally, the presentation outlined the implementation of the MeerKAT+ dish in Botswana and the collaboration between DARA and SARAO in site identification and testing for establishing SKA African partner sites.

Furthermore, Carla addressed the digital gaps in Africa and how SARAO is bridging these disparities. She elaborated on the Development of Africa With Radio Astronomy (DARA) phases 1 and 2, highlighting that phase 3 will focus on a basic training programme, advanced training programmes, and infrastructure support. The programme aims to train 450 individuals in high-tech skills, promote business development, establish radio astronomy groups in all African partner countries, and foster strong collaborations in preparation for the SKA. In addition, She also addressed the proposed Africa Forefront Initiative for Resilience Science and Technology (Africa First), aimed at providing continent-wide data using green infrastructure for data generation, acquisition, transfer, and processing. The purpose-built infrastructure, IronHive, is an initiative by SARAO. The primary objective is to launch and host Africa’s distributed Supercomputer and an Open Data Platform designed to be user-friendly for sharing data with government, academia, and industry leaders. The pilot demonstration will be implemented at Fort Hare University in South Africa, located at the SKA site in Madagascar.

Another noteworthy session is from Laurent Bochereau, Minister-Counselor of Science, Technology, and Innovation, who delivered a presentation on the overview of the (Europe) EU-Africa Cooperation and the Africa Union (AU)-EU Innovation Agenda. According to him, as a strategic partner, the EU aims to enhance cooperation with Africa for inclusive growth. He emphasised the Comprehensive EU Strategy with Africa, which aims to elevate the EU’s academic and scientific cooperation and the EU Global Approach to Research and Innovation to support sustainable growth and development. Additionally, he highlighted various joint AU-EU Innovation Agenda initiatives, such as the Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package, the AU-EU Innovation Interface launched in March 2024, and the Africa Initiative under the Horizon Europe programme. The latter focuses on four priority areas: Public Health, Green Transition, Innovation and Technology, and Capacities for Science.

Another notable session was conducted by Lindsay Magnus, SKA Mid Telescope Director,  providing an introduction and overview of the SKA Observatory. Lindsay outlined the current membership count and the anticipated addition of new countries by the end of 2024 and 2025. She discussed various training programmes and SKA construction strategy, which encompasses building the baseline design, developing an early working demonstration of the architecture and supply chain, and ensuring a continuously operational and expanding facility that showcases the full performance capabilities of the SKA design. The first data release to the community is expected to be released by 2026/2027.

Tracy Cheetham, SKA Mid Site Construction Director,  presented the SKAO Construction Update, noting that 32 months into the construction phase, contracts totalling EUR 704 million had been awarded, representing 78% of the contract value. Most of the remaining contracts, among other developments, are expected to be finalised this year. Additionally, Tracy provided updates on various SKA projects, including technical design components and community partnerships. He mentioned that by the end of the year, SKA-Low AA.0.5 is anticipated to be completed, with SKA-Mid AA0.5 currently in progress. Furthermore, the SKA Mid local community participation will involve initiatives such as the SARAO-SKAO Corporate Social Investment Framework and the implementation of the Learnship programme by Power Adenco for ten community members. In conclusion, SKAO remains committed to relationship building and eagerly anticipates engaging in exciting new projects.

Tyler Burke, SKAO Senior Scientist and SKA Project Scientist presented on scientific research with the SKA. Tyler emphasised the extensive scope of transformative science made possible by the SKA, covering areas such as Cosmic Dawn and Reionisation, Galaxy Evolution, Cosmology, and more. Additionally, Tyler mentioned that the construction of the SKA telescopes has commenced and emphasised SKA’s dedication to implementing a wide array of transformative science programmes, workshops, and training sessions.

David Buckley, the Lead Investigator and South African Co-PI provided an update on the status of the African Integrated Observation Systems (AIOS), discussing various science drivers, including the SALT transient programme, the SAAO’s Intelligence Observatory project, the Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) flagship programme, and AIOS itself. He highlighted plans to expand the concept of the intelligent observatory into Africa, foster international collaboration in transient/time domain astronomy, advocate for the development of new facilities, train young scientists and engineers, and maximise sky coverage. Additionally, he mentioned plans to assess the Robotic Optical Transient Search Experiment (ROTSE) telescope at the HESS site in Namibia for the AfAS community.

Furthermore, various sub-committees of the AfAS presented their achievements and plans. These included continued engagements with African governments, interactions with the African Space Agency, which is still in the initial contract stage, and enhancements to the annual conference bidding process. The Outreach and Education Committee, led by Duduzile Kubheka and Sally Macfarlane, discussed the global outreach project targeting regions across Africa with limited astronomy activities. They also reviewed the IAU-OAE Shaw Workshop and teacher training, which attracted over 50 participants who have since joined the #Africalookup Ambassadors Programme. Moreover, the committee outlined the development of a new Hack4Dev Framework, comprising a trainers hackathon followed by regional hackathons, scheduled for late April in collaboration with IDIA, the OAD, BITDN, and DARA. In addition, the committee announced a partnership between AfAS and Writers Space Africa and stated that a Memodrum of Understanding (MoU) is being finalised.

The African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA) presentation focused on strengthening links among female researchers, improving their professional skills, attracting girls to STEM fields, understanding the significant factors contributing to the lack of women in science, and retaining women in astronomy. The organisation also discussed outreach efforts, seed grants, and organised meetings. Furthermore, they highlighted various African Women in Astronomy storytelling books slated for completion by the General Assembly in 2024.

The conference drew to a close as Professor Melusi Khumalo, Head of the Department of Mathematical Sciences, delivered a speech on the handover to the  University of South Africa (UNISA) as the next host for the AfAS 2025 conference. This upcoming event will occur at the University of South Africa/Universiteit van Suid-Afrika.