The future African space

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On February 14th 2018 the 29 delegations from the African countries that attended in Nairobi the International Space Forum, named “The African Chapter”, visited the Italian Space Agency base in Malindi. The delegates admired the facilities and marine structures; in 1967, the last ones were the setting for the San Marco 2 launch. The San Marco Program, started in the early 60s, was conceived by Luigi Broglio, the very pioneer of the Italian space. The Malindi base is named after him (BSC, Broglio Space Center – San Marco Project). This Italian facility, perfectly operative and efficient, has been the cornerstone of the final statement issued at the end of the summit. The declaration is related to the sustainable development in Africa. The International Center for Space Education in Africa, located at the BSC, will play a pivotal role in this background. The ISF final statement envisages that “the Broglio Space Center could collect the African needs and propose space application activities and training for the development of the African Capacity Building to achieve the goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for sustainable development”. “Fifty years after San Marco 2, the first Italian satellite launched by a Scout rocket from the base of Malindi, this is the recognition of the importance of the Broglio Space Center”, said Roberto Battiston, the President of Italian Space Agency (ASI), who also expressed his warm appreciation “for the friendly atmosphere and the spirit of constructive collaboration”. The Minister of Defence, Raychelle Omamo, who led the Kenyan Delegation, in the opening remarks, said that a strong space sector is a key element to deal with Africa's socio-economic, health and environmental challenges. "African countries face myriad of challenges in the areas of food security, provision of clean water and health services, job creation and industrialization," Omamo said.