Description
This paper critically examines the development of space capabilities in Nigeria in the context of China’s increasing investment in foreign space development. While China’s investment in the Nigerian space economy has improved the country’s satellite infrastructure, this has also produced long-term dependencies that challenge the notion of independent development. As such, this paper engages with modernisation theory and seeks to assess the extent to which existing frameworks in international relations can help make sense of space capability development. This paper argues that the geopolitics of space, intertwined with national security agendas and foreign policy, can increasingly be found in the foreign development agendas of major space powers and deserves further critical attention within the space policy literature. As the case of Nigeria illustrates, one starting point for a deeper engagement with space capability development, is by looking closely at the perceived trade-off between technological development and dependency on established space powers. By examining the utility of existing development frameworks, e.g. modernisation theory, we further deepen the discussion to suggest that traditional theories fall short of encompassing the complexities that drive space capability development.
