Dec. 13 (UPI) — Nigeria and Rwanda became the first and second African countries to sign NASA’s Artemis Accord Tuesday.
They are the 22nd and 23rd countries to sign the accord overall. The cooperation between U.S. and African space agencies comes with a pledge to advance space exploration and address issues on Earth such as climate change and the global food crisis.
“The Artemis Accord is all about what we should do peacefully in space, signaling the intention to help each other out, standardization of instruments so we can come to each other’s aid when there is a problem,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.
Minister of Communications Professor Isa Ali Ibrahim signed the accord on behalf of Nigeria and Col. Francis Ngabo Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Space Agency signed for Rwanda.
“Enabling shared opportunities for peaceful space explorations will benefit humanity through the discovery of solutions for cutting-edge space technologies, advances in medicine, protection of the planet and environment, creation of scientific and technical jobs and scientific breakthroughs from exploring the unknown,” Ngabo said.
The Artemis program intends to land the first woman and first person of color on the moon which is expected to be achieved by 2025. It emphasizes the necessity of international partners to further its goals.
Private companies play a key role in the U.S. and African space agencies. Rwanda’s space program is relatively new, officially starting in 2021 after three years of development. It is one of the few space agencies in east Africa. Rwanda Space Agency and ATLAS Space Operations teamed to contribute a teleport and satellite antenna for use by the global space community.
Satellite imagery is provided to several African nations by private companies such as Nigeria’s partnership with SpaceX on Starlink broadband service.
“Rwanda could not be more pleased to participate in this accord. Space technologies are increasingly becoming a critical tool for sustainable development,” said Rwandan President Paul Kagame. “As we shoot for the stars, let us ensure that the exploration of outer space benefits all of mankind for generations to come.”
The Biden administration has invested about $20 billion in furthering health programs, including $11.5 billion to combat HIV and AIDS, $2 billion to combat malaria and $2 billion to support reproductive health and child care.
“U.S. investments and partnerships on health in Africa have saved millions of lives, strengthened health systems, and made Africa and the world better prepared for current and future health security threats,” the White House shared in a fact sheet.
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