Ghana and Tunisia Sign New Space Cooperation Agreement

The Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) and the Tunisian Space Association have signed a partnership agreement to collaborate to advance the development of their respective space sectors for socioeconomic benefits in Africa.

At the webinar hosted today, featuring President of the Tunisian Space Association, Ahmed el Fadhel, Rihab Ben Moussa, Head of Strategic Relations at Tunisian Space Association; Dr Joseph Tandoh, Deputy Director at Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute; Kofi Asare, Centre Manager at the Remote Sensing and Climate Centre, GSSTI; and Dr Proven-Adzri Emmanuel, Acting Telescope Manager, GSSTI, they highlighted the different areas of this collaboration.

The agreement will set the stage for future partnerships, space research, development and training in both countries. According to Dr Joseph Tandoh, Deputy Director at Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute, the partnership paves the way for collaboration in space research and technology development. It will also create a framework that will foster cooperation for both countries and set the stage for joint endeavours in areas of similar interests.

With a focus on astronomy and earth observation, both countries are looking to share capabilities and innovation; thus, both countries will also exercise data-sharing strategies to develop capabilities and solutions like using Internet of Things to augment EO applications in precision agriculture, land use, air pollution, mining, forest management, and coastal area management. Environment management is the main focus area of this collaboration in the first stage; nevertheless, both parties intend to expand into other areas in the future.

In addition, as one of Africa’s foremost countries in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Ghana can help drive radio astronomy capabilities in Tunisia. Tunisia also focuses on fostering space education for its young population and intends to partner with Ghana to drive awareness and interest in its upcoming space education projects.

Kofi Asare, Centre Manager at the Remote Sensing and Climate Centre, GSSTI, added that Africa’s unique challenges could only be solved by Africans, which is where bilateral challenges such as this come into play. Intra-African collaborations to leverage individual strengths in space science and technology are pivotal to solving developmental issues. The President of the Tunisian Space Association, Ahmed el Fadhel, also mentioned that the ultimate success of the African Space Agency is hinged on regional collaborations between African countries in the space industry.

Although Ghana and Tunisia have signed the Memorandum of Understanding, they will also work on developing the implementation framework based on the objectives of the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) and the Tunisian Space Association.