Description
The international system is racialised. Hierarchies persist in terms of access to power, resources and opportunities. This has deep roots in the colonial experience. It is enacted in interpersonal relations and reinforced through political and social institutions. In this paper we argue that Nigeria’s space programme and in particular the agreements reached with international partners (Surrey Satellite Technology Limited, UK, and the China Great Wall Industry Corporation) reflect these racialised hierarchies and assumptions about Nigeria’s capacity to be an equal partner. In both cases, but in different ways, there were limits to the sharing of knowledge, data and training. This kept Nigeria dependent on external expertise and hindered the development of a fully autonomous space programme – a pattern we see reproduced in many postcolonial interactions.
