African states to launch satellites with Russia

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES), comprising Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, has announced plans to develop a joint satellite program in collaboration with the Russian space group Roscosmos.  

The initiative was unveiled by Mali’s minister of economy and finance, Alousseni Sanou, during a meeting in Bamako on Monday with officials from fellow AES members. The project includes the deployment of a communication satellite and an Earth remote sensing satellite.

According to Sanou, the communication satellite will facilitate the transmission of television and radio signals across the three AES countries. It will also enable the establishment of a multi-service communication network, including internet and telephone services, in remote and underdeveloped areas. High-speed internet access will be provided through Vsat technology, significantly enhancing connectivity. 

The Earth remote sensing satellite will focus on gathering space images for monitoring national borders and reinforcing security measures. In addition, it will provide data for assessing natural resources, such as agricultural land and pastures, and for the emergency monitoring of natural disasters.  

AES members discussed the details of their cooperation with Roscosmos during Monday’s ministerial meeting. Niger’s minister of communications, Sidi Mohamed Raliou, expressed optimism about the partnership, noting that Russia offers a “more sincere, more reactive relationship” tailored to the AES’s current needs. 

In July, Russian energy giant Rosatom signed memoranda with Mali on developing cooperation on nuclear energy and other key areas. Discussions also focused on solar energy projects and geological exploration, as well as plans to construct a Russian-designed, low-power nuclear power plant in Mali. 

Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger formed the AES last September. They have since turned to Russia for security assistance in combating a jihadist insurgency that has gripped the region for years. All three countries are under military rule and have severed defense ties with their former colonial power, France, citing French forces’ alleged failure to resolve the violence. The US army has also been ordered to withdraw from Niger. 

During a meeting last year with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Roscosmos chief Yury Borisov announced that Russia had extended an offer to Algeria and Egypt to participate in the construction of an orbital station. Roscosmos has described Algeria, Angola, Egypt, and South Africa as among Russia’s key partners on the continent, with particularly productive collaboration on space.

During the 2013 BRICS summit in Durban, South Africa, Roscosmos and the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) signed an agreement on the ‘RadioAstron’ program. Further advancing their partnership, Russia implemented a project in 2018 to install a quantum-optical system in South Africa, which forms part of the ground infrastructure supporting Russia’s GLONASS navigation system.