Over the past years, there has been much interest in human and robotic space exploration, as well as humanity’s place in the solar system and the universe. Recently, in the United States, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) official English-language 2024 solar eclipse livestream gained over 11 million YouTube views, with millions more watching the Spanish-language version of the eclipse live. On top of that, in 2022, Artemis 1 successfully flew past the moon, bolstering the Artemis program and its desire to reestablish human spaceflight to the moon for the first time since the Apollo program.
The United States, Russia, Japan, Canada, and some European countries are traditionally touted as leaders in space technology. Nevertheless, India and China are becoming increasingly more vocal space-faring nations. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) solidified its role in space by becoming the first country to land spacecraft near the south pole of the moon, and China has also maintained a permanent space station in low-earth orbit known as the Tiangong since 2021.
While these countries are competing for space domination, developing countries have been absent in the global space discussion. However, that may be about to change as Nigeria, one of the largest economies in Africa and the sixth-largest population in the world, is pulling its weight in this area. While the West African nation is not yet a nation with a sophisticated space program, it may well become one in the not-so-distant future.
The Onset
Nigeria gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1960. The country quickly began to position itself as a global leader in science and technology. Six years after its independence, Nigeria experienced its first military coup. The new military government decided to establish an organization called the Nigeria Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (NCSIR). The body’s sole function was to advise the government on scientific matters. Later, the military created another council in 1970, known as the Nigeria Council for Science and Technology (NCST). In addition to its advisory role, the NCST’s mandate was expanded to include working with the private sector, the government and universities to consolidate Nigeria’s scientific research and development.
From then on, the government began to set up more research councils. From the 1970s onward, Nigeria stated that it wanted to create space technology, but progress was not rapid. Finally, after several years, Nigeria created the first version of its space agency, known as the National Centre for Remote Sensing (NCRS) in 1988.
The Nigerian Space Programme’s International Connection
In 1961, just a year after Nigeria’s independence, NASA established a spacecraft tracking station in Kano, Nigeria’s second-largest city. The control center was built for NASA’s Project Mercury, which brought the first six American astronauts to space. The center, and the other seventeen built in several politically and scientifically strategic locations, were vital for Project Mercury’s success, and for the survival of the American space program as a whole. The Project Mercury center in Kano contained intercom systems, flight control, and computational abilities, amongst other things. Much of this technology was used to help develop Project Gemini and subsequently, the Apollo program. NASA employed British and American engineers as well as Nigerian telecommunications and construction staff to survey the land and to find the best locations to place the program’s radar antennae. Once NASA ended its work at the station in 1966, all the assets were transferred to the Nigerian government.
Further Developments
Eventually, the NCRS was superseded by the National Space Research and Development Agency, or NASRDA in 1999. It remains Nigeria’s space agency. The Nigerian government initially invested $93 million into it, with the plan that Nigeria would develop its own indigenous space infrastructure. Today, it is unclear how the money was spent.
Despite the odds, Nigeria achieved some success. In 2003, in cooperation with the British company Surrey Space Technology, NASRDA launched the NigSat-1, a communications satellite. It, along with other satellites, was a part of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC), which helps observe the Earth and monitor the effects of natural disasters and erosion. The NigSat-1 was built with a five-year lifespan, yet remained in orbit until 2011.
After the NigSat-1, Nigeria launched four more satellites with technical assistance from Russia and China. The country’s most recently launched satellite, the NigComSat-1 was sent to space in 2011. It is unclear whether the satellite is in orbit or not, but it is expected that it will remain functioning until 2026.
The Billion Naira Question
While Nigeria’s space program has many potential benefits for the country, it is unclear whether the majority of the population feels these benefits. According to the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ), a Nigerian investigative journalism organization, about 40% of NASRDA’s budget is used for programs unrelated to its mandate.
Additionally, the scope of Nigeria’s space program is very broad, with some observers believing that some parts of the program are questionable. In 2016, it was announced by Ogbonnaya Onu, the country’s minister of innovation, science and technology at the time that Nigeria planned to send an astronaut to space by 2030. Calestous Juma, the late Kenyan scientist and Harvard professor stated at the time that the mission was a “lofty ambition”.
Last year, NASRDA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Space Exploration & Research Agency (SERA), a private space company, to send the first Nigerian to space at an undisclosed date. According to NASRDA’s official website, Nigeria has developed an astronaut program and a roadmap for it. The full program roadmap is currently not available.
Nigeria spends about 22.69 billion naira (currently around 13.8 billion dollars) on NASRDA. While the country faces many challenges regarding the development of its space technology, there is enough drive to potentially surpass them.
