China Hosts Seminar on China-Africa Cooperation in Satellite Remote Sensing
The Academy for International Business Officials (AIBO), under China’s Ministry of Commerce, in collaboration with the Land Satellite Remote Sensing Application Center (LASAC) of the Ministry of Natural Resources, has launched a two-week seminar on China-Africa Cooperation in Satellite Remote Sensing Applications (CACSA). The seminar begins today and brings together officials from several African nations, including Burkina Faso, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda, and representatives from the African Union Commission.
In his opening remarks, Mr Chen Runyun, Deputy Director General of AIBO, reaffirmed China’s commitment to strengthening satellite technology cooperation with African countries. He emphasised that China views satellite applications as a crucial tool for sustainable development, particularly in agriculture, environmental management, urban planning, and disaster response.
Strengthening China-Africa Satellite Cooperation
Mr Yang Shengyan, Director of the Coordination Office for China-Aid Training Programmes at AIBO, provided an update on China-Africa space cooperation under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) – Beijing Action Plan (2025-2027). He noted that during the September 2024 FOCAC meeting, China made new strategic commitments to expand cooperation in satellite remote sensing under CACSA, reinforcing Africa’s access to advanced space technologies.
Expanding on these efforts, Mrs Gao Xiaming, Deputy Director General of LASAC, highlighted the ongoing CACSA initiatives, including:
- Establishing 12 satellite remote sensing service nodes across Africa to improve data accessibility for key applications.
- Capacity-building programmes focused on land and marine monitoring, agriculture, urbanisation, environmental sustainability, and disaster response.
- Strengthening Africa’s ability to conduct independent remote sensing analysis through technology transfer and technical training.
China’s Expanding Role in Africa’s Space Sector
This seminar is part of China’s broader strategy to deepen its engagement with Africa in the space sector. Over the years, China has supported numerous space projects across the continent, including:
- Infrastructure Development: Providing grants and constructing major facilities such as Egypt Space City, which hosts a satellite Assembly, Integration, and Testing (AIT) facility.
- Satellite Manufacturing and Launches: Supporting the development and launch of key African satellites, including Egypt’s MisrSat II, Horus-1 and Horus-2, Ethiopia’s ETRSS-1, Nigeria’s NigComSat-1 and NigComSat-1R, and Algeria’s AlcomSat-1.
- Ground Stations: Assisting in the manufacturing and operationalising ground stations, such as Ethiopia’s multi-satellite ground station.
- Data Sharing: Providing Earth observation satellite data to multiple African countries to support agricultural, urban planning, and environmental management decision-making.
- Bilateral and Multilateral Agreements: Expanding China-Africa collaboration in space through agreements and cooperative programmes.
- Space Applications Projects: Supporting initiatives like CropWatch, which uses satellite data to enhance agricultural monitoring in Africa.
- Growing BeiDou’s Influence: Promoting the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) as a viable alternative for satellite navigation across Africa.
Enhancing Africa’s Space Capabilities
The China-Africa satellite remote sensing cooperation is expected to enhance Africa’s space capabilities, provide better tools for monitoring climate change, improve agricultural productivity, and strengthen disaster preparedness. By leveraging satellite technology, African nations can drive economic growth and environmental sustainability while reducing dependency on external data sources.
The ongoing seminar marks another milestone in China’s expanding space collaboration with Africa, reinforcing its role as a key partner in the continent’s technological advancement.