Nigeria to Establish Space Research Agency

SPACEMART

Nigeria Establishes Space Office

File Photo: Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo looks at an aerial view on a computer screen at the French National Center for Space Studies (CNES) 09 February 2000 in the southwestern city of Toulouse during the fouth day of his state visit to France. Photo by Jean Loup Gautreau - Copyright AFP

Lagos (AFP) July 4, 2001
The Nigerian government has agreed to spend 10.5 billion naira (93.75 million dollars) on a satellite project over the next three years, but is not yet planning to put Nigerians in space, officials said Friday.

President Olusegun Obasanjo and his cabinet earlier this week approved the setting up of a National Space Council, headed by the president, to oversee the project.

"This is a serious project, we are planning, with serious benefits for Nigerians, in terms of science, weather plotting, agriculture and communications," Science and Technology Minister Turner Isoun told AFP Friday.

Asked whether Nigeria would soon join other nations which have put a citizen into space, he said: "That is not a priority right now."

A western financial official, charged with overseeing the economic planning of the heavily-indebted African country, said he understood the arguments for a space programme, but disagreed.

"A space programme? Why not. But perhaps thinking about the health needs, education, roads, paying peoples salaries and so on ought to be higher up the list."

Nigeria currently has a foreign debt of between 28 and 32.3 billion dollars and its president is a strong proponent of debt relief.

An initial 'take-off' grant for the space council of three billion naira (26.7 million dollars) has already been paid out and will be followed by yearly allocations of 2.5 billion naira, officials said Friday.

The aim of the project is to launch a satellite communications system and carry out space capability research, they said.

SPACEMART

WorldSpace CEO Testifies Before Congressional Africa Subcommittee

Washington - May 16, 2001
WorldSpace Chairman and CEO Noah A. Samara will testify today before the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa. The Africa Subcommittee is holding the hearing on the subject of "Bridging the Information Technology Divide in Africa," to update the U.S. Congress on the status of information technology in Africa and the barriers to its implementation.

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