The Nigerian government has announced that it is planning to send the first citizen to space.
The Director General of Nigeria’s National Space Research and Development Agency, Mathew Adepoju, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, Punch Newspaper reports.
Mr Adepoju said the feat is based on a partnership between his agency and the Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA).
“This collaboration, which is coming to the country, marks a significant milestone in Nigeria’s 25th anniversary of Space Exploration journey and opens new opportunities for scientific research and technological advancement.”
At the event, Nigeria’s Minister of Innovation, Science, and Technology, Uche Nnaji, said the partnership will accelerate the nation’s technological advancements and also inspire a new generation of scientists and engineers, Channels Television reports.
Nigeria has been actively pursuing space exploration since 1999, when it established NASRDA, and has launched five satellites since 2003, with three still in orbit delivering vital services.
The most recent – NigeriaSat-X – was the first to be designed and constructed by NASRDA engineers, and more advanced models are in development.
The space agency has made extensive and creative use of the satellites, from analysing climate data to improve farming practices to retrieving hostages from Boko Haram. Officials argue this proves space exploration is essential for Nigeria.
Although the date for the space venture was not stated, in 2016, former Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, announced that the country would send an astronaut into space by 2030.
Experts said launching an astronaut into orbit represents a greater challenge than Nigeria’s previous missions, but leading figures from the space industry are optimistic.
The Nigerian space programme has ambitions beyond its borders, and it is hoped that bold statements – such as a manned mission – will inspire stargasers across the continent.
“This would be a landmark achievement for Nigeria and Africa, which will encourage the rest of Africa to get involved,” CNN quoted Felix Ale, a NASRDA spokesperson to have said.
Nigeria already shares resources from its space assets, such as providing satellite imagery to Mali, and has supported the idea of an African Space Agency.
With an ever-increasing number of African states investing in space programmes, while traditional powerhouses downsize, the continent could be the hotspot of exploration for years to come, according to a CNN projection.
