Nigeria and Ghana reach for the stars
Recently established space programmes in Nigeria and Ghana show promise for improving economic development on the ground. But are their sky-high ambitions blinding them to more efficient ways to spend the money?
Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency (NSRDA) was founded in 1999 and has since launched three different satellites into space through work with independent technology company NigComSat. These satellites can map water and soil availability as well improve communication systems.
NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X, launched in August 2011, provide clear images of Nigeria’s agricultural landscape while NigComSat1-R, launched in December 2011, improved wireless internet affordably and coverage for the Nigerian nation, bringing in an estimated $10m in profits.
Nigeria’s newest plans for space-based technology include building three new satellites and putting a Nigerian in space by 2015. NigeriaSAR-1, a synthetic aperture radar satellite, will be used for security purposes, and will be backed up by NigeriaSAR-2 and NigeriaSAR-3.
Nigeria’s Minister of Science and Technology, Ita Ewa, announced the planned launch of these three satellites in May. He also declared that before he leaves office in 2015, “we will send a Nigerian astronaut into space”.
Meanwhile, Ghana’s space programme, the Ghana Space Science and Technology Centre, was founded in May of this year. Although the centre only currently has 10 employees, it has big plans to expand, including setting aside 1 per cent of the nation’s annual GDP to science and technology initiatives with the mission of improving agricultural production, managing natural resources, bettering communications, and enhancing national security monitoring systems.
Even with some gained profits from agriculture and communications, the costs of the satellites are steep. NigComSat-1, launched in 2003, cost $340m alone, and by 2007 it was shut down after serious malfunctions, with the cost of a replacement paid by insurance. And with approximately 28 per cent of Ghanaians and 70 per cent of Nigerians below the poverty line, news of both governments spending large sums on space projects understandably draws persuasive criticism.
The missions for their respective programmes are almost identical: both cite improving systems on the ground – agriculture, national security, communications – as the primary purpose of their orbital ambitions.
So why not collaborate? It is surely wasteful for developing nations with similar goals and similar projects in mind to spend enormous amounts of precious funds on different projects, especially when the nations are neighbours and have a stable political relationship.
Such partnerships are not unheard of. In May this year, the United States and Canada announced the completion of negotiations for a five-year surveillance satellite deal that serves the national security interests of each nation and will cost millions of dollars less than if they sent two separate satellites. During economic recession, such collaborations in research and technology are crucial.
Fiscal growth in Ghana and Nigeria may be booming, with both nations in the top ten of the world’s fastest growing economies for 2012, but many economic problems remain before both nations can become truly developed. Investment in technologies like satellites and science education have promise for long-term returns, but smart investment often begins with careful spending and practical partnerships.
Christine Delp is an intern with Metro Éireann as part of the DukeEngage programme
