Description
The African space industry in recent times has experienced transformation and rapid development due to the increase in investment from international players. Among the prominent actors are the European multinationals that have contributed not just to the development of the sector but have invested in high technology and knowledge transfer for sustainable benefit. Despite years of collaboration, the European Union (EU) and Africa signed a partnership agreement in 2000, setting out eight strategic objectives, of which space science and technology are pivotal. As the states and organisations constantly engage to benefit from foreign direct investment (FDI) and ongoing projects within their regions, the EU strongly pursue economic and political relations with its African counterparts through which European multinationals operate on the continent (Ascani, Crescenzi, and Iammatino, 2016). The EU conglomerates leverage the EU-African partnership as a basis for their operations in Africa. The multinationals’ operation is also motivated by the emerging nature of the African market (Tallio, 2014). Liberal institutionalism, a strand of liberal theory which covers international institutions, is applied to the discourse. The theory analyses the operations of the multinationals, particularly how their mission and expertise sync with the development of the African space industry and society. Essentially, the paper discusses the critical role the EU conglomerates play in shaping the space landscape in Africa and the contributions they make to satellite technology and sustainable development. Among other findings, the study found that, though European multinationals have played and still play crucial roles in the space sector in Africa, including societal development, it has also created a challenge for the space firms originating from the continent. On the other hand, the European companies are not the only formidable actors in Africa, Chinese firms are also involved in the space industry, adding to the complexity of the sector.
