Africa can’t stay out of the space race
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Space powers or aspirant space powers like India, China and Turkey long framed their space ambitions as purely developmental. But they’re now jostling among themselves and with pioneer space-farers like the United States (US) to beat each other to the moon or Mars. This is as much for the sake of national power and prestige as it is to boost development.
Space powers or aspirant space powers like India, China and Turkey long framed their space ambitions as purely developmental. But they’re now jostling among themselves and with pioneer space-farers like the US to beat each other to the Moon or Mars. This is as much for the sake of national power and prestige as it is to boost development.
Where does this leave Africa? Is outer space the next terrain of a new Cold War-style proxy contest for allegiance and influence in which African countries will again be pawns in a power game or be left behind? Should African countries join the race to stake a claim in what some analysts see as a new age of extra-terrestrial colonisation?
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Written by ISSAfrica -
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Can Africa avoid getting sucked into the 21st-century contest, or should it also reach for the stars?
Space powers or aspirant space powers like India, China and Turkey long framed their space ambitions as purely developmental. But theyâre now jostling among themselves and with pioneer space-farers like the United States (US) to beat each other to the moon or Mars. This is as much for the sake of national power and prestige as it is to boost development.
Where does this leave Africa? Is outer space the next terrain of a new Cold War-style proxy contest for allegiance and influence in which African countries will again be pawns in a power game â or be left behind? Should African countries join the race to stake a claim in what some analysts see as a new age of extra-terrestrial colonisation?
Friday, April 30, 2021 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Africa’s growing space program presents new political, economic, and security opportunities and challenges for the United States. The technology transfer process, access to technologies and data, and support for systems development have the potential to increase U.S. political influence vis-à-vis U.S. adversaries; bolster two-way trade and investment; and deepen national security ties between the United States and African partners. Africa’s space industry is projected to grow from $7 billion to over $10 billion in the next five years presenting a significant opportunity for U.S.-Africa trade, which rested at a mere $33 billion in 2020. Furthermore, U.S. engagement in Africa’s space industry has the potential to translate into African support for U.S. positions on data-sharing, safety coordination, and other international space norms.
April 23, 2021
In 2010, the Japanese government had a rude wakeup call: Beijing had abruptly cut off all rare earth exports to Japan over a fishing trawler dispute. Tokyo was almost entirely dependent on China for the critical metals, and the embargo exposed this acute vulnerability.
The silver lining to this incident, which sent global rare earth prices skyrocketing before they crashed down as the speculative bubble popped, is that it forced Japan to rethink its critical raw materials policy. A decade on, it has significantly reduced its dependance on China for rare earths, and continues to diversify its supply chain by investing in projects around the world. Its model may have lessons for the US, which desperately wants to break China’s rare earths monopoly. Rare earths are a group of 17 metals that are crucial in the manufacturing of high-tech products.