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- The Rwanda Space Agency is expected to be operational beginning July 2020.
- The key responsibilities of RSA includes prediction and planning in agriculture, environmental monitoring, disaster preparedness, etc.
The Rwandan Cabinet has approved a draft law to set up the Rwanda Space Agency (RSA). Only a handful of African countries have established space agencies so far. The list includes Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, South Africa, Angola, Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, and Zimbabwe. Paula Ingabire, the Minister of ICT and Innovation stated that the Rwanda Space Agency is expected to be operational beginning July 2020.
Rwanda has already laid the foundation for space technologies. ESRI Rwanda provides mapping services and GIS solutions to government agencies, and the Centre of the Geographic Information System at the University of Rwanda. The minister added that Rwanda currently utilizes satellite imagery in conducting the national census, urban planning, land management and academic research. However, there is an urgent need for the country to build international connectivity contingency, leverage geospatial services for agriculture, urban planning, emergency response, and build a knowledge base in space technologies.
The key responsibilities of RSA include prediction and planning in agriculture, environmental monitoring, disaster preparedness, etc. It will also support urban planning through the utilization of satellite data and imagery services. The new space agency will be responsible for preparing policies and regulations as well as coordinate and support scientific research and capacity building programmes in space sciences and technology, design, build and launch satellites. The Rwanda Space Agency will also manage international space cooperation on behalf of the Government.
It may be recalled that Rwanda a few months back, launched its first satellite into space, in partnership with the Government and the Japanese Aerospace and Exploration Agency (JAXA). Last Year it also launched a long term space programme to boost research and development of space science and applied to join the United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (C0PUOS).
