Dr Tidiane Ouattara Examines Questions Shaping Africa’s Space Ambitions
H.E Dr Tidiane Ouattara, President of the Council of the African Space Agency, recently published three books examining Africa’s space ambitions, governance, sovereignty and the sustainability of national space programmes.
He presented and signed the books on 24 September 2026 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, on the sidelines of Africa Space Expo (ASPEX) 2026. Published by Éditions Mouna, the books are L’ambition Spatiale Africaine: Performance et Durabilité des Programmes; Gouvernance de l’espace en Afrique: Modèles, Défis et Perspectives d’avenir, and L’Afrique à l’ère Spatiale: Souveraineté, Développement Socioéconomique et Sécurité.
The three books bring together themes that are becoming increasingly important as African countries establish national space institutions, develop space policies and seek to expand their use of space-based technologies.
From Space Ambition to Sustainable Programmes
The African space sector has expanded significantly over the past decade. More countries are establishing national institutions, developing satellite programmes and creating policies to coordinate space activities. This growth has also created a different set of questions. Building a space programme requires more than acquiring satellites or developing technical capabilities. Countries must determine how programmes will be structured, funded and sustained over time.
L’ambition Spatiale Africaine: Performance et Durabilité des Programmes examines this question by assessing the performance and sustainability of African space programmes. The issue is particularly relevant as countries move from expressing an interest in space to establishing institutions responsible for delivering national space priorities.
For newer space programmes, the challenge is not only to define what they want to achieve, but also to build the institutional and financial foundations required to maintain those programmes beyond individual projects or political cycles.
The Governance Challenge
The second book, Gouvernance de l’espace en Afrique: Modèles, Défis et Perspectives d’avenir, turns to the question of how space activities are governed. As more national space agencies emerge alongside continental and regional institutions, coordination is becoming increasingly important. Countries must define institutional responsibilities, establish regulatory frameworks and determine how national programmes interact with regional and international initiatives.
This is particularly relevant for Africa, where countries often operate within a wider network of continental programmes, development partnerships and international cooperation agreements. The question of governance therefore extends beyond individual national agencies. It also concerns how African institutions coordinate their priorities and work together without duplicating capabilities or fragmenting limited resources.
H.E. Dr. Ouattara has been closely involved in these institutional questions. Before becoming the inaugural Director General of the Côte d’Ivoire Space Agency (ASCI), he served in senior roles within the African Union, including responsibility for the African Outer Space Programme and work on establishing the African Space Agency. He is also President of the African Space Council.
Space, Sovereignty and Development
The third book, L’Afrique à l’ère Spatiale: Souveraineté, Développement Socioéconomique et Sécurité, places space within broader questions of national development and sovereignty. For African governments, space capabilities are increasingly linked to practical priorities such as Earth observation, communications, navigation, environmental monitoring and security.
Thus, what matters is how space capabilities can support national priorities and how countries can build sufficient capacity to use them effectively. This also raises questions about dependence on external infrastructure, data and expertise. As African countries seek greater control over strategic technologies and information, space is becoming part of a wider conversation about technological and digital sovereignty.
A Changing African Space Sector
The subjects covered across the three books reflect a space sector that is becoming more institutionally complex. African countries are establishing agencies and programmes at different stages of development, while the African Space Agency is beginning to play a greater role in coordinating continental space activities. At the same time, governments are expanding partnerships with international agencies, development institutions, and commercial companies, creating opportunities but also placing greater importance on institutional capacity, coordination, and long-term programme design.
According to the author, H.E. Dr Ouattara, the books draw on ideas and experience developed over several years, and the decision to publish them came after his appointment to lead ASCI. He described the books as a way of leaving a record of those ideas and experiences as he moved from continental work into a national role.
The critical questions raised by the books are relevant beyond Côte d’Ivoire. As African countries build their space programmes, the sector’s next phase will depend not only on technological capability, but also on how effectively those capabilities are governed, funded, and connected to national development priorities.