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Space has become a pivotal instrument for development and international diplomacy in Africa, given its significant cultural, social, and economic impacts. Despite this, existing literature on African development largely neglects the space sector, while the growing body of research on the political economy of space often overlooks Africa. This omission is a critical gap, as it disconnects development theories and policies from the realities of Africa's science and technology landscape. Additionally, it provincializes global theories on the political economy of space by ignoring Africa's role in the development of the global space arena. This study addresses these gaps by analyzing the political economy of space development in Africa, offering a historical perspective on the continent's space initiatives, examining the influence of leadership and governance, and exploring Africa's international space relations with China, Europe, Russia, the United States, and international organizations. This study concludes that space activities are not new to Africa, having existed across multiple scales, and that the development of space programs on the continent is driven by socioeconomic and sustainable development goals. It suggests that governance at various levels significantly influences space development outcomes in Africa and that foreign interest initially arose from Europe’s need for external markets. The study argues that foreign institutional involvement often hampers Africa's growth in this sector, whereas China has emerged as Africa’s primary partner in space development. Additionally, it critiques prevailing ideologies surrounding African space initiatives and proposes a new foundational perspective for the continent’s space programs.
Between 2021 and 2023, the primary research methodology employed was auto-ethnography (Ellis, 2011; Mendez, 2013), which intertwined my personal experiences with the cultural dynamics of the research process. Complementary methods included desktop and archival research (Luker, 2008), participant observation (Cerwonka & Malkki, 2007; Luker, 2008), structured and unstructured interviews, institutional policy engagements (Blaikie, 1985), and fieldwork (Cerwonka & Malkki, 2007; Luker, 2008). Qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using Power BI and Tableau. From 2021 to 2024, I conducted participant observation at conferences and workshops in seven countries, engaged in forums and closed-door meetings in six, and pursued institutional policy work in four countries, including engagements with the Global Satellite Operators Association and the U.S. Institute of Peace. Fieldwork conducted between 2022 and 2024 spanned Angola, Ethiopia, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and Rwanda, visiting multiple institutions such as space agencies, private firms, and regional organizations.
This study advances existing work on development in Africa, existing work on global political economy research and existing work on the political economy of space leveraging auto-ethnography research method. It provides historical analysis contributing to existing body of work on space development in Africa while correcting existing misinformation and assumptions. Furthermore, it constitutes a major contribution to empirical research on space development globally and in Africa and provides the first holistic view into the political economy of space development in Africa, providing a critical contribution to advance both development and political economy theories and discourses. Finally, it provides a critical analysis of various political economic theories, evaluating their weaknesses and strength in explaining the space development landscape in Africa.