POTENTIALS OF SPACE SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN ACHIEVING

THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS IN AFRICA

Eteng, Womi-Eteng Oboma1; Adepoju, Kayode

2

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Abuja; African Regional Center for Space Science

and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTE-E), Ile-Ife,

Nigeria.

Contact: princeeteng@yahoo.com or adewaleadepoju@yahoo.com

Keywords: SST (Space Science and Technology), Economy, MDGs (Millennium Development

Goals), DMC (Disaster Monitoring Constellation), MDAs (Ministries Departments and Agencies),

Policies, Education, SMEs, Geospatial Technology, Regional Integration.

ABSTRACT

The 2000 Millennium Summit that officially established the Millennium Development Goal is

widely applauded as an emphatic footprint of true globalization. However, over a decade into the

implementation of the MDGs in Africa, much is left to be desired. This situation inspired this

work. It posits that the development and application of space science and technology in Africa can

help in relieving food crisis, poverty, educational and health challenges on the one hand and

enhance environmental sustainability and global partnership on the other hand, being issues

addressed by the 8-points-agenda of the MDGs. The work goes further to identify Geospatial

SMEs as integral part of SST which can contribute immensely to the realization of the MDGs.

However, poor funding of the sector, research and education amongst others are pointed out as

factors capable of crippling these potentials.

1.0 INTRODUCTION

In todays world, an attempt to portray space science and its applications as a stand-alone venture

is, remarkably, a poor representation of its relevance. From the time the curiosity of man took him

above the ground- by balloon flights in 1783- to the present era where he can spend months in a

spaceship, several innovations and technologies have emerged, serving not only the needs of the

space industry but human existence in general.

Worthy of note is the fact that the involvement of national governments in space affairs during the

years that followed the end of the Second World War. There was a radical technological revolution

among countries that had space programs- USSR and the U.S.A. In pursuant of their main goal-

sending man to outer space- the challenge posed by the hostile nature of the space environment

was surmounted through simultaneous development of technology.

Although some of these technologies took their roots from all-ready existing ones, Ayansola

(2010) rightly surmised that In many cases, these (technological) advances would occur much

more slowly or not at all without the challenge of space exploration. Today, mans venture into

space has provided a holistic understanding of his own environment- earth- and the technologies

that were created for space exploration have surpassed their critical needs in the space industry

serving several purposes such as environmental monitoring, disaster detection, resource

management, global navigation, communications and many more. These are undeniably a benefit

for all mankind.

As it concerns economic returns, countries that were and are at the fore of space science and

technology have a lot to show for it following the present era of space exploration which seeks to

maximize the commercial potentials within. Global space economy has experienced a robust

growth with commercial revenues and government budgets amounting to over $300 billion (6.7%)

by the end of 2012 and rising above 40% in the last five years. This growth is driven by the

commercial sector where of the 6.7% growth experienced in 2012, Space Foundation reports a

whopping 5.4% in commercial revenue.

It is in the face of these that one would wonder where Africa stands, being a part of the global

community. For a continent that is critically in need of development, Africa cannot continue to be

marginalized in space affairs. While the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have been

unanimously embraced by all African states as a viable developmental tool, many are yet to see the

role space science and technology can play in its achievement. Proponents of this view maintain

that Africa is unprepared for such luxury. Contrary to this, space provides a platform for

addressing problems from a broader perspective. According to Ayansola (2010), space science

missions are meant to provide basic knowledge about our environment, through which better

decisions about how to sustain and improve life on Earth can be achieved. In explicit terms, the

development of space science and technology in Africa is capable of ensuring standard education

and technology development, and mitigating communication constraints, resource management

issues, food crisis , health challenges, prevailing unemployment trends, to mention but a few.

These are all specific targets summed up in the 8-MDGs.

Nonetheless, it comes as a relief to know that African countries are beginning to incorporate space

activities into their local affairs. But factors such as poor funding, inconsistent policies and

implementation gaps, poor investment in education and high corruption are capable of crippling

the actualization of the MDGs through space science and technology.

2.0 GLOBAL SPACE ECONOMY

Space Economy defines the full range of activities and use of resources that create and provide

value and benefits to human beings in the course of exploring, understanding and utilizing space

and related technologies. There has been a steady global rise in returns from this sector. Ayansola

(2010) wrote that every one dollar spent on developing the communications satellites industry has

put back more than $25 into the economy. As at 2010, the U. S. Space Foundation reported an

overall global space economy rise of 276.52 billion U.S. dollars in government budgets and

commercial revenue, a 7.7 percent increase over 2009. Similarly, its 2011 report maintained a

global space economy rise reaching $289.8 billion, representing a 12 percent mark in commercial

revenues and government budgets over the previous year and 41 percent over the previous five

years.

In comparison, global government space budgets reflected a small scale increase, with great

variation from one nation to the next, captured in its 2010 report as only 1.1 percent. Russia, India

and Brazil increased their space spending by 20 percent while spending in the U. S. and Japan

reflected little changes. This is part of a trend of commercial growth that has been recurring since

2005 and has contributed to cumulative global growth of a staggering 48 percent, with no year

showing less than a five percent gain.

YEAR REVENUE (US$ BILLIONS) % GROWTH

2010 276.52 7.70

2011 289.80 12

2012 304.31 6.7

While the economic situation is considered hard in many sectors, there are reports that this is not

the case in the space field. For instance, the U.S average annual space industry salary was 15

percent greater than the average salary for the 10 science, technology, engineering and

mathematics career fields with the greatest employment. During 2010, the average annual space

industry salary was just under $97,000, more than twice the average U. S. private sector earnings.

In India, at the 2012 India Geospatial Forum, her National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)

announced that it surpassed its sales target and projects a $118 billion by 2014 and 241billion by

2020 as economic returns from the Geospatial Technology industries.

Similarly, Europe and Japan have also maintained their space workforce through periods of

relative economic strength and weakness, according to the report. Dawn.com estimates the UKs

space sector as worth 4.8 billion per annum, directly employing 24,900, supporting 70,000 jobs

and making an overall contribution of almost 7 billion per annum to UKs GDP.

3.0 OVERVIEW OF AFRICAN SPACE ACTIVITIES

Space science and technology had been in operation within Africa for decades. South Africa,

Algeria and Egypt are some countries with the oldest space activity history on the continent. South

Africa has been involved on a small scale, in space activities since 1820 mostly in the area of astronomy, and

has remained active in space observations and satellite tracking since the beginning of the space

age. The Algerian space program started as far back as 1947 during the colonial period when

France established the constellation of launch complexes and test sites at the Special Weapon Test

Center. The Egyptian space program was established in 1960 though it was discontinued after a

few years. (Zahra, 2008).

Despite this, most of Africas position in space over time had been as consumers without

venturing as space players for several reasons, not excluding constraints of funding and lack of

basic infrastructure. However, that trend is changing in recent years with a number of African

countries flagging space agencies, developing space policies with long term plans, and launching

satellites into space as Akinyede et al (2010) puts it thereby joining the league of sensing

countries and moving Africa out of the former class of being totally a sensed continent.

Within the last decade, Nigeria and Algeria made a global landmark when it partnered with SSTL

and five other countries- China, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Vietnam- in the

international Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) project. This formed the first-ever

microsatellite constellation bringing remarkable Earth observation capabilities both nationally to

the individual satellite owners, and internationally to benefit world-wide humanitarian aid efforts.

Presently, Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria, Egypt and Ghana have space agencies and own satellites

in space, excluding Ghana.. Other African countries have remote sensing centers that serve as the

hub of space applications. These countries are: Libya, Tunisia, Morocco, Ghana, Ethiopia, Kenya,

and Mauritius.

Looking ahead, the development of an African Space Agency (ASA) has been proposed to

coordinate and link the various isolated scientists around the continent; the idea is yet in its infancy

but if modeled after the European space agency (ESA), it will go a long way in championing space

activities in Africa. (Zahra, 2008)

4.0 POTENTIALS OF AFRICAN SPACE ACTIVITIES IN MDGs REALIZATION

It is not unusual to hear debates of Africas unpreparedness to go into Space, being perceived as a

luxury venture. Proponents of this view, point to the fact that Africa has basic human challenges

like poverty, hunger, health issues to deal with and maintain that instead of venturing into such

bogus business, Africa should work towards realizing the Millennium Development Goals. Why

spend on space when issues within our immediate environment are yet to be addressed? They will

ask! It is against this backdrop that this section is dedicated to illustrating how Africa can use

space science and technology to achieve or at least contribute to the achievement of the

Millennium Development Goals.

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development goals that all

193 United Nations member states and not less than 23 international organizations have agreed to

achieve by the year 2015. They include:

Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger,

Achieving universal primary education,

Promoting gender equality and empowering women

Reducing child mortality rates,

Improving maternal health,

Combating HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases,

Ensuring environmental sustainability, and

Developing a global partnership for development.

Goal I: Eradication of Extreme Poverty and Hunger:

The World Bank defines extreme poverty as the severe lack of material possessions or money. In

2011, the World Bank reviewed extreme poverty as surviving on the equivalent to US$1.50 or 1

per day; Meanwhile, the World Hunger Education Service Defines Hunger as the want or scarcity

of food in a country. It estimates that 388 million people, representing about 40%, of the total

1,022,234,000 human lives in the continent are poor. Similarly, World Food Program reports that

of the total 925 million chronically hungry people, a quarter is in Sub-Saharan Africa. These

figures do not come as a surprise given that many problems have plagued the continent, from

inherent poverty to natural disasters, to repeated battles with famine, and to tribal wars. However,

for a continent that has been naturally endowed with unquantifiable resources, it is pathetic.

SST as a Solution

Extreme hunger: Drought-triggered famine checkmated by space based Famine Early

Warning System (FEWS). Among others, one of the causes of poverty and especially

hunger is drought-triggered famine which can be mitigated using space technology. The

Famine Early Warning System (FEWS), a space-based project already in operation and

supported by USAID, NOAA, USGS and NASA affirms this fact. It has as its goal

reduction of the incidence of famine in Sub-Saharan Africa by monitoring the agricultural

growing season. Monitoring is carried out through the instrumentality of greenness

maps. These maps allow analysts to monitor the development of vegetation in agricultural

regions. In addition, rainfall estimates are produced by NOAA based on geostationary

weather satellites data. Several other data are provided by FEWS Field Representatives

including in situ rainfall data, field agricultural information and commodity price data.

(Oyeshola, 2008; NASA, NOAA and USGS, 1999:59).

Job creation: Space is a multi-disciplinary industry. Satellite-based TV services alone can

create jobs for millions from the satellite design to TV retail services.

Food Security/Job Creation: Using remotely sensed images and GPS to improve precision

agriculture practices to reduce input costs while increasing productivity.

Millions of People

Goal II: Achieve Universal Primary Education

With a population of 1,022,234,000 out of which 70% are under the age of 30%, Africa is

the most youthful continent. Therefore the need for at least a basic primary education

cannot be over emphasized if the continents future must be guaranteed.

SST as a Solution

While it remains worrisome that majority of those in critical need of basic education are in

rural, often inaccessible locations, space technology can be used to bridge the gap through

e-learning/tele-education.

Tele-education:

- Majority of those in critical need of basic education are in rural, often inaccessible

locations, space technology can be used to bridge the gap through tele-education.

- Children in the most remote areas can have access to quality education as

obtainable in cities.

- It stands out as the most viable way of delivering a cost effective and uniform

educational service to a large population in different locations per time.

Space Science Education

Most young minds are usually curious about space lessons especially for their

fairy-tale imagination of the moon, stars, planets, galaxies, weightlessness,

astronauts and the likes. Hence, teaching space science in schools and colleges

could be career defining moments for them, hence raising the next generation of

space scientists for Africa.

Goal III: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

Various reports attest to the fact that there is a pronounced imbalance in male to female

representation in all spheres. For instance, UNFPA reports that for every hundred boys in school,

there are only 83 girls. In the labor market, of the 550 million working poor in the world, an

estimated 330 million representing 60% are women. Meanwhile, women employment in the

informal sector and often low paying- as a percentage of women's total non-agricultural

employment is generally higher than for men particularly evident in sub-Saharan Africa, where

84% of women's non-agricultural employment is informal, compared to 63% of men's.

SST as a Solution

A robust Tele-education program will contribute to quality education of the girl-child

even in the remotest areas.

The broad-base of space employability opens up great opportunities for female engineers,

doctors, business managers, lawyers, nurses and encourages entrepreneurship.

Success Stories from Nigeria

- 1st Nigerian Zeronaut is a female

- 1st Nigerian team of engineers to design a satellite included females.

Goal IV: Reduce Child Mortality

It is no gain saying that the loss of children within Africa is very high. The 2011 UNICEF report

shows that the highest rates of child mortality are still in sub-Saharan Africa where 1 in 8 children

dies before age 5, more than 20 times the average for industrialized countries (1 in 167) and

South Asia (1 in 15). It is even more painful realizing that most of the mortalities are caused by

preventable diseases like malaria and diarrhea.

SST as a Solution

Tele-medicine can take standard paediatrics medical services to children of the poor even in

rural/remote communities.

GIS/Spatial Technology:

- The major factors that have been implicated for high infant mortality include: Low

availability and access to health care services, Poor nutrition, Immunization constraints,

Poor water sources and sanitation.

- The use of GIS in spatial and temporal studies of these factors provide public health and

all stakeholders with handy information on what should be prioritized per time, where to

prioritize and to what level it should be prioritize, not excluding evidence-based resource

allocation.

A Practical Example

a. Okwaraji et al (2012) worked on: Effect of Geographical Access to Health Facilities on

Child Mortality in Rural Ethiopia: A Community Based Cross Sectional Study. The team

examined the effect of travel time and distance to health facilities on mortality in children

under five years in a remote area of rural north-western Ethiopia. Using GIS, all

households and the only health centre in the district were mapped. The result showed that

distance to a health centre had a marked influence on under-five mortality in a poor, rural,

remote area of Ethiopia. This study provides important information for policy makers on

the likely impact of new health centers and their most effective location in remote areas.

b. Indias polio immunization effort that recently took her off the Polio PAIN status

incorporated the Spatial Decision Support System capacity of GIS to enhance

immunization coverage.

Goal V: Improve Maternal Health

The African situational report on maternal health is still high compared to other regions. As stated

in the UNICEF 2010 report, Sub-Saharan Africa suffered from the highest Maternal Mortality

Ratio at 500 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births giving an estimated 162,000 maternal deaths

in the year under review.

SST as a Solution

Telemedicine can bring standard ante- and post-natal medical services to our, often,

unreached pregnant women to reverse the trend.

GIS is a veritable tool for decision makers in the health sector.

A practical Illustration

Massey P. (2011) in his work on: Reducing Maternal Mortality in Senegal: Using GIS to Identify

Priority Regions for the Expansion of Human Resources for Health examined the regional

distribution of human resources for health and related maternal health indicators in Senegal.

Results show that a regional imbalance in the distribution of health personnel and health

indicators existed in Senegal and went on to posit that this disparity may have contributed to the

disproportionate burden of disease experienced in the eastern part of the country. Based on a

spatial analysis, a priority index was used to identify regions to target for the recruitment and

training of midwives.

Goal VI: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Other Diseases

As at 2010, there were an estimated 22.9 million people living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa

and 1.2 million deaths due to AIDS compared to 1.3 million in 2009. Almost 90% of the 16.6

million children orphaned by AIDS live in sub-Saharan Africa. Similarly, there were 216 million

clinical cases of malaria reported (with uncertainty of 149 million to 274 million) in the same year

resulting in 655,000 deaths (with uncertainty range of 537,000 and 907,000). Sadly, over 80% of

these deaths occur in sub-Saharan Africa where 90% of the infected people live. (WHO, 2011).

SST as a Solution

Telemedicine provides a platform for cross-cutting healthcare including Home-Based

Care to AIDS patients.

Advances in geospatial technology (GIS) have created new opportunities for

epidemiologists to study the associations between demographic, socio-economic,

environmental exposures and spatio-temporal pattern of diseases.

Medical researchers have taken advantage of the microgravity of space to better

understand the nature of the AIDS virus (HIV). Crystals of HIV protease inhibitor grown in

microgravity are significantly larger and of higher quality than any specimens grown on

earth. This knowledge is fundamental to developing a cure or vaccine.

Goal VII: Ensure Environmental Sustainability

In an era where climate change is fast affecting other systems at a global scale, Africa

cannot fold its arm looking. The droughts in the Horn of Africa and Floods in the plains of

West Africa are too real to be overlooked. Over 30,000 children were reportedly lost to the

Somali drought crisis of 2011 and properties worth thousands of dollars have been

destroyed within Nigeria due to floods, hence the need for an eye in space. A UNDP

report attributes the inability to achieve other MDGs to this phenomenon, stating that

While other factors contribute to droughts and the shrinking of cultivable land, climate

change exacerbates the situation". It went on to recommend that adapting to climate change

was urgently required to ensure all the MDGs are met.

SST as a Solution

Meteorological and Earth observation satellites (EOS) systems are leading space

technologies that provide the essential data for hazard mapping, risk assessment, early

warnings and disaster relief. Hence flood, famine and other disasters can be better prepared

for by information from space technology (satellites).

Oils spills, wildfires can be monitored and managed from space technology.

Urban planning, land cover land use, deforestation, wildlife conservation, water resource

management all benefit from space technology.

Africas wealth of natural resources requires proper management to enhance sustainable

development. To achieve this, space technology is inevitable. For instance, the use of radar-

altimeter data for mapping gravity fields which provides information about the geology of

the sea-bed across the worlds oceans has opened up a new source of information which is

of great value to the hydrocarbons and mineral exploration industry. Similarly, satellite

technology can be employed in mapping landuse, as well as the extent of damage due to oil

spills, forest fires, severe storms, desertification and other environmental phenomena that

are typical of Africa.

GIS can be employed in environmental impact assessment of developmental projects. The

ability of this system to analyze data of various parameters-typical of an EIA- makes it the

more relevant. With the technical aspect completed, an EIA report would guide the next

action- continue or discontinue the project; consider alternative location and/or technology

etc. This will, ultimately, offer a platform for informed policies that will protect our

environment.

Africas Success Story

Algeria and Nigeria remote sensing satellites are part of the global Disaster Monitoring

Constellation

Goal VIII: Develop Global Partnership for Development

Only a few decades back, the concept of globalization seemed far-fetched. But today, it outplays

itself in all spheres- education, religion, security, and politics- forming the bases for the

establishment of international bodies like the UN, EU, AU, NATO, ECOWAS, etc. One gets to

hear terms like bilateral agreement, economic bail out and the likes. Global partnership has

contributed tremendously to bridging the gap in information, education, technology, health etc. For

instance, the U.S. Presidents Malaria Initiative (PMI), launched in June 2005 is worth $1.2 billion

and is expected to scale up malaria prevention and treatment interventions. The goal of PMI,

working closely with other governments, is to reduce malaria-related mortality by 70% in the

original 15 countries by the end of 2015. U.K, China, Japan are not left behind in related foreign

aids. Within Africa, the Nigerian Infantry- one of the best in the world- has contributed to the

relative peace of several fellow African countries.

SST as a Solution

The Disaster Monitoring Constellation opens up opportunities for similar collaboration

among African Countries.

Capacity building by ITC, Netherland and other institutions has enhanced the space

application capacity of numerous Africans.

Obvious possibilities of having an African Space Agency.

Objectives and achievements of the biennial African Leadership Conference.

Beginner and mid-carrier trainings in space applications hosted in ARCSSTE-E (Nigeria)

, CRASTE-LF (Morocco), RECTAS (Nigeria), RCMRD (Kenya) .

These endeavors are expected to result in the development and growth of technically and

managerially competent human networks that will use those aspects of space science and

technology to greatly impact economic and social development of countries, including the

preservation of their environment for the general good of Africa and the world.

5.0 ROLES OF GEOSPATIAL SMEs IN ACHIEVING THE MDGs

5.1 Background

It is evident that the realization of the MDGs requires the collective effort of both the government

and private sector. While the government is expected to shoulder the responsibility of making

policies and overseeing their implementation, the role of the private sector, particularly the Small

and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in driving the required change cannot be undermined. It is this

fact that has made global organizations like the World Bank, regional organizations like ECOWAS

and national governments to prioritize SMEs in their economic plans. As a matter of fact,

companies we now uphold as big started out as small businesses or research institutions. Their

passion for technology and success served as the bedrock for their achievements over time.

In line with this, the development of geospatial SMEs stand to profit entrepreneurs and the

government. SMEs are potentially viable components of the geospatial industry since their ability

to drive innovations and economic dynamism, promote entrepreneurship and create jobs is high.

5.2 Status

The roles of SMEs in the geospatial technology industry are summarized here into four. Viz:

Technology SMEs: They are SMEs that develop specific technology for building products for the

Principal Companies (PC) and also create products to meet local needs. They operate in a wide

range of geospatial and business platforms.

Service SMEs: As the name implies, they are committed to meeting customer needs in various

aspects such as translating paper works into digital format, creating and processing data.

Solution SMEs: They focus on creating value-added products and solutions that will appeal the

end-user. They also customize products of the PCs to suit the changing market trends.

Trading SMEs: Trading SMEs serve as distributors and retailers of products from the PCs.

SME Matrix in Selected Regions and Countries

Region/Country South-east

Asia

India China/Japan Middle East Africa Latin

America SME

Technology SME 5 15 20 5 5 10

Trading SME 70 40 30 80 70 60

Solution SME 5 15 20 5 5 10

Service SME 20 20 30 10 20 20

Source: Geospatial World Magazine

From the table above, it can be seen that African G-Tech market is mainly represented by trading

SMEs.

5.3 Opportunities

Being the most effective link between PCs and end-users and their sensitivity to specific customer

needs, SMEs are faced with many opportunities.

- SMEs understanding of the local market dynamics provide a vantage point for the

development of technologies that meet the critical needs of the customer. In fact, this major

reason behind the evolution of yesterday SMEs into today PCs and can advance today

into tomorrow PCs.

- The flexibility in Operation of SMEs is another unrivalled advantage. Unlike PCs whose

bureaucratic nature of introducing new ideas are complex, SMEs enjoy the privilege of

making swift adjustment in their policies and actions. This is advantageous especially when

in line with the ever-changing customer needs and market trends. SME activities in G-tech

can range from sale of geospatial software to implementing projects (usually as out-

sourcing partners).

- Furthermore, the dependence of PCs on SMEs provides a unique vantage point. This is

particularly o maximize profits in terms of sale and promotion of their products and

feedback from customers. SMEs possess the power to convince end-users on the viability

of a product as well as discourage its use. PCs who understand this collaborative sale

model have continued to support SMEs.

For a continent that is at the infancy of SST, Africa is a greenfield that will allow for G-Tech

SMEs to grow. Numerous opportunities are available for SMEs including provision of local

support to PCs and government; and training human resources.

Summarily, the development of Geospatial SMEs can enhance regional high value-added service

sector for accelerated and sustainable socio-economic development.

6.0 CHALLENGES

The following factors are capable of crippling the potentials of space science and technology in

achieving the MDGs in Africa:

Inadequate funding of the space sector

Policy implementation constraints

Inadequate funding of general education

Non-inclusion of space subjects/courses in conventional education.

Corruption

7.0 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Space science and technology can contribute immensely to the objectives of the MDG.

Therefore, MDAs saddled with the responsibility of overseeing its development should

prioritize partnership with other MDAs (education, health, environment, science and tech,

communication etc) at both country and regional levels.

Globally, the commercial space sector is driving space economy. Hence, African

businesses should expand their investment base to include commercial space applications.

Public-Private Partnership for existing and new space projects should be encouraged by

African space agencies to boost the development of the space sector in general and

geospatial SMEs in particular.

Space provides a platform to address many of Africas problems from a regional

perspective. Hence the need to build and/or sustain regional collaboration.

The development of Geospatial SMEs can enhance a regional high value-added service

sector for accelerated and sustainable socio-economic development.

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