India Galvanizes Efforts to Rival West in Kenya's Thriving Space Industry

India has shown keen interest in establishing partnerships and exploring opportunities for collaboration with Kenya to enhance Africa's space capabilities.

But the country faces competition from Italy, another long-time ally of Kenya.

Addressing the Kenya Space Expo and Conference in Nairobi, Indian High Commissioner Namgya Khampa underscored the strategic collaboration between the two nations and their shared commitment to developing geospatial information networks.

"We believe in strong international partnerships and we intend to leverage this together with Kenya," Khampa said.

The envoy stressed that alongside capacity building, the objective was to jointly raise awareness and facilitate active dialogue on how the space sector can benefit African economies, especially in science and technology, to tackle urgent challenges like the climate crisis.

Highlighting India’s achievements in space technology, Khampa noted the cost-effective approach of the nation's Space Research Organization (ISRO) and its global leadership in space programmes.

Along with that, Italian Ambassador to Kenya Roberto Natali, also attending the expo, reiterated his country’s dedication to partnering with Kenya to promote and ensure peaceful uses of outer space.

The initiative aims to enhance strategic plans at bolstering relations between the Italian and Kenyan governments, with a focus on exploring investment prospects in the space sector.

Meanwhile, in the 1960s, Rome Sapienza University worked with US space agency NASA to build the Luigi Broglio Space Centre on a disused oil platform of Kenya's coast near the town of Malindi. The first space launch from there was of a Scout B rocket in 1967.

"At the Malindi facility, plans are underway to establish a Centre for Earth Observation with assistance from the Italian Space Agency," Natali emphasised. "My government has provided 15 fully-paid PhD scholarships on Earth Observation to Kenyan nationals, and the nominees for the PhD programme will begin their studies in September this year."

Currently, Italy has a renewable 15-year contract for use of the Malindi platform. The agreement includes commitments to employ and train local personnel, pay rent and contribute royalties from commercial initiatives.

Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for the Ministry of Defence Aden Duale, who oversees the Kenya Space Agency, stressed the significance of the event in advancing discussions on space technologies and their transformative impact on society.

"In the spirit of intra-Africa cooperation and as envisioned in the African Union Agenda 2063, Kenya is already actively pursuing collaboration initiatives on the peaceful uses of outer space with partner states in the region," Duale said. "These include but are not limited to, the Republic of South Africa, Angola, Rwanda, Uganda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Egypt, Algeria, Nigeria and Ghana."

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