TANZANIA Is Taking A Giant Leap Towards Space Exploration With Plans To Establish The Country’s First-Ever Space Agency In The 2024/2025 Fiscal Year.
This Announcement Comes
From The Minister For Information, Communication And Information Technology, Mr
Nape Nnauye Who Tabled His Docket’s Budget In Dodoma Yesterday.
Mr Nnauye Said The
Government Plans To Continue Implementing Space Programmes To Promote The Use
Of Satellite Technology To Facilitate Ease And Convenient Access To
Communication And Other Services.
“The Other Services
Include Defence And Security, Research, Disaster Management And Weather
Forecasting In The Country,” He Told The National Assembly. The
Country Has Been Making Strides In Space Programmes, Including Securing An
Orbital Position Of 16W For Use In Broadcasting Satellites And New Frequencies
That Will Be Used To Improve The Safety Of Air And Maritime Communications.
According To The
Minister, In The Next Fiscal Year, The Government Would Also Establish A
National Satellite Management Committee In The Country To Coordinate,
Supervise, And Develop Space Activities.
On May 19, 2023, President
Samia Suluhu Hassan Revealed That Tanzania Is Planning To Build Its Own
Satellite And That Negotiations To Reach The Scientific Milestone Have Already
Begun.
“We Are Well Prepared. We Have Started
Discussions, And Rest Assured That Tanzania Will Have Its Own Satellite In The
Near Future,” She Said. Should The Plan Materialise, Tanzania Will Join The
List Of Other East African Countries, Including Kenya, Rwanda, And Uganda.
Kenya Launched Its First
Operational Earth Observation Satellite In April 2023 Onboard A Spacex Rocket
From The United States, A Live Feed From Elon Musk’s Rocket Company Showed. The
Satellite, Developed By Nine Kenyan Engineers, Will Collect Agricultural And
Environmental Data, Including Floods, Droughts, And Wildfires, That Authorities
Plan To Use For Disaster Management And To Combat Food Insecurity.
Uganda, On The Other
Hand, Launched Its First Ever Satellite Into The International Space Station On
December 8, 2022, Following Its Construction By Three Ugandan And Japanese Engineers
Under A Multinational Satellite Design Programme.
Overall, In Africa,
Egypt Leads The Way With Nine Launched Satellites, Followed By South Africa With
Eight, Algeria With Seven, Nigeria With Six, And Morocco With Three.
Ghana, Sudan, Ethiopia, Angola,
And Mauritius Complete The List.
The Development Of A
Satellite Has Far-Reaching Implications Across Multiple Sectors.
In Communication, A
Satellite Can Enhance Connectivity In Remote Areas, Bridge The Digital Divide,
And Improve Access To Education And Healthcare Services.
In Other Key Sectors,
Such As Agriculture, Satellite Data Can Provide Valuable Insights Into Soil
Moisture, Vegetation Health, And Crop Monitoring, Enabling Farmers To Make
Informed Decisions About Irrigation, Fertilisation, And Pest Control.
Furthermore, Satellite Technology
Plays A Crucial Role In Disaster Management, Allowing For Early Warning
Systems, Efficient Emergency Response, And Post-Disaster Assessment And
Recovery.