Mauritania has announced plans to establish a national nanosatellite program aimed at enhancing sovereign space capabilities and strengthening digital services across the country.
The initiative,led by the Ministry of Digital Transformation,will involve the deployment of one or more low Earth orbit satellites,the construction of ground infrastructure,and the transfer of technological skills to local experts for satellite design,production,and operation.
Minister Ahmed Salem Ould Abode held a meeting on September 29 to review the project,underscoring its strategic importance for national development and Mauritania’s regional standing in space technology.
The program comes amid rapid growth in Africa’s space sector,which reached an estimated $22.6 billion in 2024,with $465.34 million allocated to space initiatives and 67 satellites launched by 18 African nations. Mauritania’s planned satellites will support strategic missions in security,surveillance,and observation,while expanding nationwide access to digital services.
Similar nanosatellite initiatives have recently been undertaken by Senegal,Djibouti,Côte d’Ivoire,and Botswana,reflecting a continent-wide drive to harness space technologies for socio-economic advancement. While Mauritania has not disclosed a launch timeline,experts highlight persistent challenges in the African space landscape,including limited transparency,project inefficiencies,and insufficient integration of artificial intelligence.
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