"We have in the forge the concession of a meteorology satellite, but then we will move on to the earth observation satellite, because our country is extensive and has a great potential for natural resources, with emphasis on oil, agriculture and the environment", pointed out the ruler, cited by Angop.
Therefore, for this challenge, he considered the cooperation of academia to be important, which must play a fundamental role in achieving the recommended objectives, which relate to the concession of the meteorology and observation satellite.
On the occasion, the government official took the opportunity to remember that the Government started in this sector 15 years ago, in cooperation with international partners, with a view to developing the national space industry. Something that he said made it possible to develop the National Space Program that ended up culminating in the placement of Angosat-2 into orbit.
Furthermore, the holder of the Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication portfolio also mentioned the creation of the African Space Agency as a relevant milestone for the growth of this industry, the first results of which are beginning to emerge, writes Angop.
In addition to Mário Oliveira, the former Minister of Higher Education of Burkina Faso and leader of the BurkinaSat-1 Project, Fréderic Ouattara, also spoke on the panel, as well as the interim president of the National Authority for Remote Sensing and Spatial Sciences of Egypt, Islam Abou El-magd.
The first day of the 3rd edition of NewSpace Africa was also marked by the opening speech, given by the Minister of Telecommunications, Information Technologies and Social Communication.
At the opening, Mário Oliveira highlighted that the country has a relevant presence in the Consultative Committee of the International Satellite Organization, and in this way, Angola "has been able to make" its "contribution to the strengthening and enhancement of the Angolan space industry and beyond".
Among other aspects, he highlighted that the Executive has been implementing several actions to ensure that the country "assumes a co-leadership role in the region and participates in a relevant way in the international context in space matters", says a statement from the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information and Social Communication Technologies, to which VerAngola had access.
Thus, cited in the note, he added that the country "has developed a set of projects that have an impact on the regional integration of SADC, with investments in space infrastructures, such as the Angosat-2 telecommunications satellite, constituting for African countries, the answer to greater connectivity at affordable costs, as access to reliable communications is a factor in economic development and social inclusion".
In line with the White Paper on Telecommunications and Information and Communication Technologies and the National Space Strategy 2016-2025, the minister informed that the Government "guided the design, construction, development and placement in orbit of the telecommunications satellite, called Angosat-2, which allowed Angola to be placed in a restricted group of four African countries that own a telecommunications satellite, namely Angola, Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt", points out the statement.
Thus, he said that "for more than a year" that the country has had Angosat-2 in orbit, "which is completely managed and operated by Angolan staff, trained in the largest universities and educational institutions in the space industry in the world, whose work has received the most varied international praise and awards".
He also made reference to the Conecta Angola Project, considering that the development of this project "has been a great lever for increasing digital literacy and bringing Angolan populations living in remote areas closer to the central bodies of State administration and support for education and teaching, currently benefiting more than 20 thousand Angolans".
He also highlighted the country's accession, at the end of 2021, to the United Nations Committee for the Peaceful Use of Ultraterrestrial Space (COPUOS), "which is the international forum of reference for the discussion of topics related to the civil use of space", adding that "the country was also admitted as a member of the International Astronautical Federation, which is the main global body for the defense of space".
On the occasion, he also reported that in November last year, the country and the United States of America initialed the Artemis Accords, which aim to promote "space exploration for the benefit of all humanity, thus integrating a restricted group that brings together only three African countries", the statement reads.
It should be noted that the conference taking place in Luanda is under the motto "The role of space in reducing poverty in Africa".
