By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Oct. 3, GNA – The Government is taking steps to establish a fully-fledged Ghana Space Agency to coordinate the country’s space activities and position Ghana to participate meaningfully in the global space economy.
Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, said the process of developing the necessary legislation for the proposed agency was underway following Cabinet approval for its establishment.
She said Government would leverage the Ghana Space Policy to facilitate the transformation of the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI) into a fully-fledged agency with the appropriate legal, institutional, technical and operational framework.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings made this known at a media engagement after a close door meeting with official from the GSSTI, as part of her first 100 days public engagement programme, on Friday, in Accra.
She said the proposed agency would coordinate Ghana’s space activities, facilitate research and innovation, promote public-private partnerships, coordinate international cooperation and support the development of space infrastructure.
“Space is no longer the exclusive preserve of a few technologically advanced nations. Today, space science and technology have become essential tools for development,” she said.
The Minister said Ghana’s geographical location close to the equator, its position along the Gulf of Guinea and its stability within the West African sub-region provided opportunities the country must deliberately leverage.
She said Ghana should position itself as a strategic hub for space science, Earth observation, satellite data, research and innovation, serving national needs while contributing to Africa’s growing space economy.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings identified institutional transformation, space infrastructure and data, environmental sustainability, human capital development and private-sector participation as key pillars of the country’s space agenda.
She said Government would strengthen collaboration among universities, research institutions, industry, government agencies and international partners.
The Minister said the private sector must play an active role in developing applications and services based on satellite and geospatial technologies, particularly in agriculture, insurance, banking, telecommunications, logistics, mining, disaster management and environmental monitoring.
She said Government would also invest in human capital and encourage young Ghanaians to pursue careers in aerospace engineering, satellite engineering, remote sensing, geospatial science, artificial intelligence, robotics and data science.
Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said the first 100-day agenda would focus on stakeholder engagement, advancing the legislative framework for the proposed agency, identifying infrastructure requirements and deepening international partnerships.
She said Ghana’s participation in the space economy must also promote the peaceful, safe and sustainable use of outer space.
Dr Joseph Bremang Tandoh, Director of the GSSTI, said establishing the agency was necessary because space-related activities were fragmented across government institutions.
He said different ministries were independently undertaking activities that required satellite data, making coordination and efficient use of resources difficult.
Dr Tandoh said a central agency could procure satellite imagery, process it and make relevant information available to different ministries.
He said Ghana currently had no satellite in space and relied on third parties whenever it needed satellite imagery for specific national activities.
Dr Tandoh said developing Ghana’s own satellite capability would enable the country to obtain timely information for border surveillance, agriculture, flood prediction and environmental monitoring.
He said the Institute also faced challenges accessing high-resolution imagery due to inadequate funding and lacked sufficient processing capacity to handle large volumes of satellite data.
He said Cabinet had approved the establishment of the agency, while drafting instructions had been submitted to the Attorney-General’s Department to begin the necessary legislative process.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng
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