Long considered a latecomer, Africa is launching itself into space with ambition and drive. With enormous gaps in communication, education and science, the demand for satellite capacity in Africa is growing fast. The African space industry is expected to top $22 billion by 2026. In 2022, countries allocated a total of $539 million to their respective space programs. A Chinese backed spaceport planned in Djibouti has been touted as a game changer. In a sign that that the continent deems space as a strategic industry, the African Union in January inaugurated the African Space Agency based in Cairo. Rorisang Moyo is a space industry analyst with Space in Africa. She joins the show with insights on opportunities and challenges in the African space economy. Senegal eyes grain self sufficiency Supply chain problems, rising grain prices and inflation caused by the conflict in Ukraine have had Senegal rethinking dependence on foreign wheat. The country imports 800,000 tonnes of the grain per year. Now an ambitious effort is underway to replace imports with homegrown grain. Congo: New plant to export gas to Europe As Europe cuts its reliance on Russian energy, Congo is coming to the rescue. The country has broken ground for a new gas plant by Italian oil giant Eni. Situated on Congo’s Atlantic coast, the facility will pump more than 4.5 billion cubic metres a year for domestic and export markets.

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Long considered a latecomer, Africa is launching itself into space with ambition and drive. With enormous gaps in communication, education and science, the demand for satellite capacity in Africa is growing fast. The African space industry is expected to top $22 billion by 2026. In 2022, countries allocated a total of $539 million to their respective space programs. A Chinese backed spaceport planned in Djibouti has been touted as a game changer. In a sign that that the continent deems space as a strategic industry, the African Union in January inaugurated the African Space Agency based in Cairo. Rorisang Moyo is a space industry analyst with Space in Africa. She joins the show with insights on opportunities and challenges in the African space economy. Senegal eyes grain self sufficiency Supply chain problems, rising grain prices and inflation caused by the conflict in Ukraine have had Senegal rethinking dependence on foreign wheat. The country imports 800,000 tonnes of the grain per year. Now an ambitious effort is underway to replace imports with homegrown grain. Congo: New plant to export gas to Europe As Europe cuts its reliance on Russian energy, Congo is coming to the rescue. The country has broken ground for a new gas plant by Italian oil giant Eni. Situated on Congo’s Atlantic coast, the facility will pump more than 4.5 billion cubic metres a year for domestic and export markets.