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 (ASPEX), where she advocated for market access on behalf of innovative U.S. commercial space firms seeking business in the continent.

The expo kicked off with a historic opening ceremony, with the U.S. attending as the International Country of Honor, marked by Côte d’Ivoire officially joining the Artemis Accords. U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Junaid “Jay” Munir delivered opening remarks celebrating the U.S.-Africa partnership and bright future in space commerce.

Throughout the expo, the high-impact U.S. Pavilion (prominently featured under a “US-Africa Space Commerce” banner) served as a bustling hub for business-to-business and business-to-government meetings. Visitors to the pavilion experienced wall-to-wall NASA lunar and NOAA Earth-focused imagery, as well as multilingual presentations featuring continuous screenings of Assistant Secretary Taylor Jordan’s welcome address alongside videos introducing the Traffic Coordination System for Space and NASA’s latest ventures.

During the first ASPEX “US-Africa Commercial Space Roundtable,” U.S. companies talked directly with the Africa Space Council and Cote d’Ivoire leadership about opportunities for US-Africa commerce on Earth and in space, balanced by a practical exploration of best practices.  Throughout the expo, U.S. companies showcased satellite applications across many sectors, from expanding digital access to  tracking coastal erosion. 

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 International signed two milestone agreements to launch “Cyber Secure Futures: Africa Workforce 10K,” a program created for H.E. Dr. Tidiane Ouattara, President of AfSA, and facilitated by H.E. Inza Camara, Consul General of Côte d’Ivoire in New York and Delegate General of the Economic Promotion Service of Côte d’Ivoire to the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The first was a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Eburnie Space Foundation. The second was a Joint Collaboration Action Plan (JCAP) with the African Space Agency (AfSA) and ASCI of Côte d’Ivoire, with AfSA signing as the “Continental Alignment & Sector Validation Partner.” Under this landmark program, a free, online, dual-track (cyber and space) curriculum will reach African youth aged 18 to 35. The goal is to train 1,000 participants in Year 1 (February to September 2027) and 10,000 over three years, with Côte d’Ivoire as the launch nation.

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, 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 represents a continuing shift in international space collaboration: moving from high-level dialogue to actionable strategic partnerships and market opportunities. As Dr. Ouattara, President of the African Space Council, observed, “here we talked business, not space.”

“Through ASPEX, and through OSC’s advocacy work, the groundwork has been laid for long-term space growth and American space partnerships across the continent,” said OSC’s Rose Croshier. “OSC congratulates the Africa Space Agency and Government of Cote d’Ivoire for running such a  commerce-forward, landmark event.”

By: OSC Fall Fellow Allouetta Parsell