By Baboloki Semele
When Space in Africa convened the inaugural NewSpace Africa Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2022, it was driven by a simple but ambitious vision, to create a dedicated platform where Africa’s growing space community could come together to exchange ideas, forge partnerships, and shape the future of the continent’s space economy. Five years later, that vision has matured into one of Africa’s most influential space industry platforms. With the release of its first-ever NewSpace Africa Conference Impact Report (2022–2026), Space in Africa offers the most comprehensive account yet of how the conference has evolved from a modest gathering of 100 delegates into the continent’s leading forum for space policy, innovation, investment, diplomacy and commercial collaboration. The report chronicles far more than the conference’s impressive growth. It tells the story of an African space sector coming of age, one increasingly defined by homegrown leadership, institutional cooperation, commercial opportunity and global relevance.
From One Hundred Delegates to a Continental Movement
The transformation has been remarkable. The inaugural conference in Nairobi welcomed 100 delegates representing about 30 countries. Five editions later, the 2026 conference in Libreville, Gabon, attracted nearly 700 delegates from 73 countries across five continents, representing governments, national space agencies, private companies, universities, investors, development partners and international organisations. Over the five-year period, the conference brought together approximately 2,300 participants from 782 organisations spanning 98 countries, with African stakeholders accounting for roughly 51 percent of attendees. The numbers, however, only tell part of the story. More importantly, the conference has become the room where Africa’s space industry gathers to make decisions that increasingly shape the continent’s future. The NewSpace Africa Conference has evolved into an institution within Africa’s emerging space ecosystem. Each edition has been organised jointly with the host country’s national space agency or the government institution responsible for space affairs, ensuring that every conference reflects local priorities while advancing continental cooperation. The deliberate decision to rotate the event annually across Africa’s five regions has strengthened regional ownership and expanded participation across the continent. Beginning in Nairobi in East Africa, the conference moved to Abidjan in West Africa, Luanda in Southern Africa, Cairo in North Africa and Libreville in Central Africa, demonstrating that Africa’s space ambitions are shared across the continent rather than concentrated in a handful of countries.
Where Africa’s Space Leaders Meet
One of the report’s strongest messages is that the conference has become the continent’s premier gathering for institutional leadership. Over five editions, twenty-seven heads of African national space agencies and programme authorities have participated, alongside ministers, senior government officials, ambassadors and international development partners. More than 157 conference sessions featuring over 450 speakers have explored issues ranging from Earth observation and satellite communications to regulation, manufacturing, investment and emerging technologies. According to the report, this concentration of leadership has enabled frank discussions on Africa’s long-term priorities while creating an environment where governments, industry and development partners engage as equals. Among the conference’s most significant contributions has been its role in supporting institutional milestones that continue to redefine African space governance. The report highlights the inauguration of the African Space Council during the 2024 conference in Luanda and the official inauguration of the headquarters of the African Space Agency in Cairo in 2025 as landmark achievements in the continent’s space history. During the same week, African and European partners formally launched the EUR100 million Africa–EU Space Partnership Programme, implemented jointly by the African Union Commission, the African Space Agency and the European Space Agency.
From Dialogue to Deals
While dialogue remains central to the conference, the report demonstrates that conversations increasingly translate into concrete outcomes. Thirty-five organisations have partnered with the conference across multiple editions, resulting in sixteen formal partnership agreements and eight programme launches between organisations whose relationships were initiated or strengthened through the event. These agreements range from institutional memoranda of understanding to commercial contracts and bilateral cooperation frameworks. The conference has also become one of the continent’s most attractive business platforms for companies seeking opportunities in Africa’s expanding space market. More than half of all delegates attending the 2026 edition occupied senior executive positions with authority to approve budgets, negotiate partnerships and influence investment decisions. That concentration of decision-makers has encouraged sustained participation from returning sponsors and exhibitors, many of whom regard the conference as their primary gateway into African markets.
Opening Doors for African Innovation
The report also illustrates how the conference has become an important catalyst for Africa’s emerging NewSpace industry. Through the NewSpace Africa Startup Pitch Competition, promising African startups have gained access to investors, industry leaders and international exposure. Among the success stories highlighted are Zambia’s Ignitos Space, winner of the inaugural competition, and Cameroon’s Nanosatellite Missions Design, whose 2026 victory earned the company an opportunity to represent Africa at the prestigious Startup World Cup in San Francisco. Other finalists have gone on to contribute to Kenya’s Taifa-1 satellite mission and develop innovative satellite data processing platforms in partnership with national space agencies. These achievements underscore the conference’s commitment to nurturing African innovation rather than simply showcasing established players. Recognising that Africa’s future in space depends on its people, the conference has made talent development a central pillar of its mission. Students benefit from discounted registration, while the Young African Space Professional Awards provide outstanding young professionals with funded access to the conference and direct engagement with senior policymakers and industry leaders. Workshops and mentoring sessions continue to expose students and early-career professionals to opportunities that many would otherwise never encounter. Reflecting on the conference’s journey, Dr Temidayo Oniosun, Managing Director of Space in Africa and Convener of the NewSpace Africa Conference, notes that the platform has evolved beyond an annual gathering.
“Five years ago, we created the NewSpace Africa Conference to address a simple need: a platform where the people building, regulating, investing in, and shaping Africa’s space ecosystem could meet in the same room. Today, the conference has grown beyond an annual gathering. It has become a space where important conversations happen, partnerships are formed, and decisions that influence the future of Africa’s space economy are shaped.”
The conference’s growing importance is echoed by H.E. Dr Tidiane Ouattara, President of the Council of the African Space Agency, who describes it as an essential platform that reflects the increasing maturity of Africa’s space ecosystem by bringing together governments, investors, industry leaders and development partners to unlock the full value of space for the continent’s development.
As preparations begin for the 2027 edition in Dakar, Senegal, the conference enters its next chapter with even greater ambition. The impact report concludes that the NewSpace Africa Conference has evolved from a gathering of pioneers into permanent infrastructure for Africa’s space economy, a platform where satellite missions are conceived, partnerships negotiated, investments initiated and continental priorities advanced. For Space in Africa, publishing this inaugural impact report is said to be more than a retrospective exercise,but a declaration that Africa’s space industry has reached a new level of maturity and that the conversations have become institutions,with partnerships becoming investments.
