EAC Secretariat and SatNav Africa JPO Renew Partnership to Advance Satellite Navigation in East Africa

The East African Community (EAC) Secretariat and the Satellite Navigation in Africa Support Programme (SatNav Africa JPO) have concluded a new Memorandum of Cooperation, extending their joint activities to cover the development and implementation of the EAC Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS) initiative.

Both entities signed the agreement on 10 July 2026 on the margins of the 20th Meeting of the EAC Sectoral Council on Transport, Communication and Meteorology in Arusha, where a SatNav Africa JPO delegation, led by Director Mr Semou Diouf, participated as an invited partner. The signing took place during a meeting between the SatNav Africa JPO delegation and EAC Secretary General, Ambassador Stephen Patrick Mbundi, during which both parties exchanged views on progress made in the development of a satellite navigation programme for the East Africa region.

The renewed agreement establishes a working arrangement between the two organisations to facilitate capacity building, innovation, and market development based on satellite navigation and its applications across Africa.

A Pan-African Programme, a Regional Commitment

SatNav Africa JPO operates as a Pan-African programme under the Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme, with its Steering Committee co-chaired by the European Commission and the African Union Commission. Its mandate centres on supporting the development of satellite navigation services across the continent, and the renewed EAC partnership represents a concrete step in advancing that mission at the regional level in East Africa.