Africa’s Drive to Advance Satellite Navigation Systems
In January 2016, African Heads of State and Government adopted the Africa Space Policy and Strategy, a framework designed to harness space science and technology for continental growth and development. This strategic blueprint encompasses Earth Observation Systems, Navigation and Positioning, Satellite Communication, and Space Science and Exploration. Navigation and Positioning (N&P) capabilities, in particular, have emerged as a focal point due to their direct impact on aviation safety, transportation efficiency, and precision mapping.
A cornerstone of this effort is the collaboration between Africa and the European Union through the Africa Joint Programme Office (JPO). Established to drive the EU-AFRICA partnership, the JPO’s mission is to introduce GNSS/EGNOS services across Africa, with aviation identified as the primary driver. The initiative aims to implement GNSS/SBAS services, strengthen local capabilities in navigation and positioning, and support African countries in deploying SBAS/EGNOS applications. Achieving these goals involves comprehensive studies on GNSS/SBAS, targeted capacity-building programs, and coordinated implementation phases.
To align with the African Union Commission’s Agenda 2063, a continent-wide survey and gap analysis was conducted to assess satellite navigation and positioning infrastructure. This review examined the current state of technology and identified challenges across multiple sectors: transport, agriculture, surveying and mapping, public safety and emergency services, location-based services, environmental monitoring, and emerging technologies. The findings underscore the potential of N&P systems to transform operational efficiency and safety standards in these domains.
Prior to the Joint Africa-EU Strategy (JAES), Africa’s progress in satellite-based augmentation systems was largely driven by bilateral programs. SBAS/EGNOS initiatives had been established in the MENA region—covering Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon—alongside projects with ASECNA, a consortium of 17 African states, and with South Africa through ESESA. For other Sub-Saharan nations, the EU, via JAES, initiated a framework program to support air transport and satellite navigation, which included four targeted projects addressing aviation safety and security.
Two notable projects—SAFIR and TREGA—were launched to facilitate the development and deployment of GNSS/EGNOS services in Africa. The JPO, formed in December 2013, expanded its scope under the “EGNOS in Africa Support Programme” to encompass all GNSS applications, broadening the benefits beyond aviation to include land and maritime navigation, precision agriculture, and disaster management.
Institutional contributions have also been significant. The Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD), established in 1975 in Kenya under the auspices of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Union, plays a key role in supporting the African Geodetic Reference Frame (AFREF). AFREF aims to create a modern, uniform geodetic reference system for the continent, built on a network of Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) utilizing GNSS technologies.
Training and capacity building have been integral to sustaining these advancements. The African Regional Institute for Geospatial Science, founded in 1972 under UNECA, has long provided technical expertise in mapping and geospatial analysis. Additional institutions such as the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in English (ARCSSTEE), established in Nigeria in 1998, and the Centre Régional Africain des Sciences et Technologies de l’Espace en Langue Française (CRASTE-LF), founded in Morocco in the same year, were created under United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs initiatives stemming from UN General Assembly Resolutions 45/72 and 50/27. These centers, hosted by Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria and IAV Hassan II in Morocco respectively, have trained generations of specialists in geomatics, surveying engineering, and satellite navigation.
The cumulative effect of these coordinated efforts is a steadily maturing N&P infrastructure across Africa. From aviation corridors to agricultural fields, and from urban safety networks to environmental monitoring stations, satellite navigation is becoming a central pillar of Africa’s space ambitions.
