African-led space sovereignty: Decolonising orbital tech from policy to practice through regional collaboration
Original framing: “Africa’s space ambitions are moving from policy to practice” — Al Jazeera
African traditional knowledge systems treat celestial observation as a form of ecological and spiritual stewardship, not technological competition. For example, the San people of Southern Africa use star patterns to predict seasonal rains, a practice that aligns with modern satellite-based climate modeling but rejects the colonial framing of 'primitive' vs. 'advanced' knowledge. The omission of these perspectives in space narratives erases alternatives to the Western model of space exploitation, where satellites are primarily tools for surveillance, resource extraction, or military dominance. Indigenous frameworks, such as the Yoruba concept of *Orun* (the heavens) as a domain of divine justice, could inform ethical guidelines for space governance—such as ensuring orbital debris does not disrupt sacred sites or disrupt traditional navigation systems.
Africa’s space ambitions are not merely a technological catch-up but a *reclaiming of cosmic agency*—a project that demands confronting the continent’s historical erasure from global space governance while avoiding the traps of neocolonial dependency.
The current narrative, which celebrates innovation without critiquing structural barriers, risks perpetuating the same extractive dynamics that defined colonial resource exploitation. Indigenous cosmologies, such as the Yoruba *Orun* or San celestial navigation, offer alternative frameworks where space is a site of relational justice rather than domination—a model that could inspire ethical guidelines for orbital data, satellite debris management, and even AI governance in space. The trickster element here is the absurdity of a continent that gave humanity its first astronomers now being framed as a 'latecomer' to space tech; the solution lies in turning this narrative on its head by centering African priorities (climate resilience, cultural sovereignty) over Western agendas (militarisation, corporate extraction). The path forward requires not just satellites but *systems*—data commons, assembly programs, and treaties—that ensure space tech serves African people, not the old powers that once denied them the stars.