The government is taking steps to transform the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) into a fully-fledged Ghana Space Agency as part of efforts to position the country to benefit from the growing global space economy.

Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, said the process towards establishing the agency had begun following Cabinet approval, with work expected to advance on the necessary legislation and institutional framework.

She announced this at a media engagement held as part of her first 100 days in office on October 2, where she outlined government’s plans to make space science and technology a more integral part of Ghana’s national development agenda.

According to the Minister, the proposed Ghana Space Agency would coordinate the country’s space activities, facilitate research and innovation, promote public-private partnerships, support the development of space infrastructure and strengthen international cooperation.

“The objective is not simply to create another institution,” Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said. “The objective is to establish a capable national institution” that can coordinate Ghana’s activities and enable the country to participate meaningfully in the global space economy.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said Ghana’s space programme must focus on practical applications that address the country’s development challenges rather than treating space technology primarily as a symbol of technological prestige.

She identified agriculture, flood forecasting, climate adaptation, environmental monitoring, telecommunications, maritime surveillance, urban planning and national security among areas where satellite and geospatial technologies could provide significant benefits.

She said Ghana’s location close to the equator, its position along the Gulf of Guinea and its relative stability in the West African sub-region presented opportunities for the country to position itself as a hub for space science, Earth observation, satellite data, research and innovation.

The Minister said the government would seek to strengthen Ghana’s capacity to acquire, manage and analyse space-based data and turn it into information that can support policy decisions.

“The value of a satellite image is not simply the image itself. Its real value lies in what we can do with the information,” she said.

The Minister also identified environmental protection as a major area in which Ghana could deploy space technology.

She said satellite imagery, drones, ground-based observations, geospatial systems and artificial intelligence could be combined to monitor deforestation, illegal mining, land degradation, water bodies, wetlands, biodiversity, coastal ecosystems, waste management, air quality and climate-related risks.

The technology, she said, could help the country move from reactive environmental management towards more evidence-based and predictive approaches.

Particular emphasis would be placed on using satellite and geospatial information to support efforts to combat illegal mining and the degradation of Ghana’s water bodies.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said human capital would be central to the country’s space ambitions, arguing that Ghana’s greatest space asset would ultimately be the people capable of designing, building and operating space technologies and using the resulting data.

She said government would promote stronger collaboration between universities, research institutions, industry, government agencies and international partners.

Young Ghanaians, she said, would be encouraged to pursue careers in areas including aerospace engineering, satellite engineering, astrophysics, remote sensing, geospatial science, artificial intelligence, robotics, data science, telecommunications, cybersecurity, space law and policy, and space entrepreneurship.

The government also intends to support scholarships, exchange programmes, mentorship and other opportunities aimed at developing the next generation of Ghanaian scientists and innovators.

The Minister said Ghana’s space ambitions could not depend solely on government and called for greater private-sector participation in the emerging space economy.

She identified potential commercial opportunities in agriculture, insurance, banking and finance, telecommunications, logistics, mining, maritime services, disaster management, urban planning, environmental monitoring and climate services.

Under the proposed approach, government would provide the policy, regulatory and institutional framework, while academia and research institutions generate knowledge and develop technologies, with private companies commercialising innovations.

Development partners and international institutions would also be expected to contribute technical and financial support.

As part of her first 100-day agenda, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings outlined several immediate priorities for the space sector.

They include strengthening stakeholder engagement on the implementation of Ghana’s space policy; advancing work towards the institutional and legislative framework for the Ghana Space Agency; identifying priority space infrastructure and capacity-development needs; and deepening partnerships with international space agencies, development partners, research institutions and the private sector.

Government also intends to promote the use of satellite and geospatial data for environmental management, climate resilience and national development, while expanding opportunities for Ghanaian researchers, engineers, students and entrepreneurs to participate in space-related programmes.

The government will further seek to improve coordination among institutions that generate, manage and use space-related data.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings stressed that the 100-day programme was intended to establish direction and momentum rather than complete Ghana’s broader space agenda.

The Minister said Ghana would strengthen cooperation with countries, international organisations, space agencies, universities and research institutions as it develops its space capabilities.

She said recent engagements in Germany, including participation in an international ministerial meeting on science, technology, innovation and space in Munich and a visit to the European Southern Observatory, had reinforced the importance of international collaboration.

Ghana, she said, did not need to develop every component of its space capabilities independently.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings also linked Ghana’s space ambitions to the broader African development agenda, including the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and continental science, technology and innovation priorities.

She called on the media and other stakeholders to support efforts to use space science and technology as part of Ghana’s broader development agenda.

“The space economy of the 21st century is increasingly about solving real problems, creating economic opportunities, and improving lives,” she said.

Source: 3news