OSC’s Advocacy at the Africa Space Expo

The Office of Space Commerce’s Senior International Affairs Specialist, Rose Croshier, joined the United States delegation to the 2026 Africa Space Expo, where she advocated on behalf of, and supported market access for, innovative U.S. commercial space firms seeking business in the continent.

The conference kicked off with a historic opening ceremony marked by Côte d’Ivoire officially signing the Artemis Accords. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Junaid “Jay” Munir delivered opening remarks celebrating the partnership, with both nations co-serving as this year’s “Countries of Honor.”

Throughout the event, the high-impact U.S. Pavilion (prominently featured under the “US-Africa” banner) served as a bustling hub for commercial business-to-business meetings. Visitors to the pavilion experienced multilingual multimedia presentations featuring continuous screenings of Assistant Secretary Taylor Jordan’s welcome address, alongside videos introducing the Traffic Coordination System for Space.

Cross-sector engagements showcased satellite applications for tracking coastal erosion, with representatives directly addressing topics raised by Côte d’Ivoire’s Ministry of Agriculture and technical experts stepping in to demonstrate real-world solutions in action.

Building on the strong momentum of opening day, the rest of the conference focused on converting dialogue into tangible partnerships and policy alignment. A major highlight took place right in the U.S. Pavilion, where U.S. firm Covenant Security Solutions signed a milestone Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the African Space Agency (AfSA). Under this landmark agreement, Covenant Security Solutions will deliver cybersecurity standards and space security training to 10,000 professionals across Africa over the next few years.

The U.S. delegation, consisting of representatives from the Department of State Office of Space Affairs and the Office of Space Commerce, held intensive bilateral discussions with regional leaders and national space agencies. Meetings with the African Space Council (AfSC), Senegal, Angola, and Mauritius focused on bilateral collaboration and partnership opportunities, such as possibly integrating satellite Earth observation data into major regional infrastructure projects, as well as space situational awareness and space sustainability.

Beyond policy exchanges, U.S. officials and commercial representatives actively engaged local government ministries and state enterprises to deliver targeted U.S. commercial solutions.

The Africa Space Expo representing a continuing shift in international space collaboration: moving from high-level dialogue to actionable strategic partnerships and market opportunities. Through OSC’s advocacy work, the groundwork has been laid for long-term space growth and American space partnerships across the continent. 

By: OSC Fall Fellow Allouetta Parsell