Development in astronomy and space science in Africa

Abstract

The development of astronomy and space science in Africa has grown significantly over the past few years. These advancements make the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals more achievable, and open up the possibility of new beneficial collaborations. Until recently, South Africa with the Southern African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) and Hartebeesthoek Radio Astronomy Observatory (HartRAO), Namibia with the High Energy Stereoscopic System (HESS), and Morocco, Algeria and Egypt with their optical observatories, were almost the only astronomy references in Africa. Also, South Africa, Egypt, Nigeria and Algeria were the only four African countries with established satellite programmes. In recent years, many other countries began research activities in astronomy and space science (A&SS), starting with institutional development, human capacity development (HCD), scientific research and networking. The African Union (AU) took important steps in promoting the development of A&SS on a continental scale for improving some of the main socioeconomic and environmental challenges that Africa is facing, and for achieving United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs). This Comment aims to provide an overview of the current status and future prospects of A&SS in Africa