HAPPY: The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami, Announces Collaboration with Space X to Promote ...
HAPPY: The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Prof. Sheikh Isa Ali Pantami, Announces Collaboration with Space X to Promote Internet Networking Across Nigeria
By Comr Abba Sani Pantami
The Minister of Communications and Digital Economy of Nigeria, Prof. Isa Ali Ibrahim Pantami, signed the Artemis agreement on behalf of Nigeria as he announced the partnership with Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) to provide telecommunications throughout Nigeria. .
These two events took place at the United States-African Leaders' Conference (USALF), which is taking place in Washington DC, United States of America. The President of the United States, Joe Biden, hosted the meeting and brought together the leaders of African countries.
Minister Pantami signed the agreement to mark Nigeria's participation in the next phase of space exploration which will be coordinated by the National Space Agency (NASA). President Paul Kagame also announced Rwanda's approval of the agreement. The President of Cameroon Paul Biya and the President of NASA Bill Nelson and the Deputy Secretary of Commerce Mr. Don Graves also spoke at the event.
Nigeria and Rwanda are the first two African countries to sign the agreement and the 22nd and 23rd in the world. The agreement was signed on December 13, 2022, at the US-Africa Space Summit - a side event at USALF.
NASA established the Artemis Agreement in 2020, as a set of principles to guide the next phase of space exploration, strengthening and enabling the implementation of important activities in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. The agreement also works to strengthen the commitment of the United States and signatories to the Registration Agreement, the Salvage and Repatriation Agreement, and the guidelines and best practices supported by NASA and its partners, including the release of scientific data to the public.
Minister Pantami announced Nigeria's collaboration with SpaceX, following the approval of their application as the main operator of the Human Satellite (HTS) Low-Earth Orbit (LEO) in the Nigerian telecommunications sector.
As part of the partnership, “Space X is to provide telecommunication networks across Nigeria, to enable full access to internet connections before the December 2025 schedule, as outlined in the Broadband Plan national. With this partnership with SpaceX's Starlink, Nigeria will be the first country in Africa to introduce the service. The elections will be held nationwide before the end of 2022, after completing a few administrative tasks. The announcement was made at the US-Space Forum, where Professor Pantami also served as a speaker," said Pantami's Technical Assistant (Research & Development), Dr. Femi Adeluyi, in a statement he issued this morning.
He added: “The Federal Ministry of Communications and Digital Economy, under the leadership of Professor Pantami, will continue to implement the National Digital Economy Policy (NDEPS) to ensure that the Nigerian economy He has been at the forefront of light, in Africa and across the world."