The Acting Director General (Ag. DG) of the Kenya Space Agency (KSA) Brigadier Hillary Kipkosgey has reaffirmed the Agency’s commitment to nurture the development of Space sector in the country as a key contributor to national growth.
Speaking during the seventh edition of the Africa Earth Observation Challenge on the sidelines of a three day Kenya Innovation Week (KIW) at Sarit Center in Nairobi, Brigadier Kipkosgey said a thriving Space sector is ideal for socio-economic development.
The forum brought together various firms in the country and across the region through Kenya National Innovation Agency (Kenia) to showcase their innovative ideas under the theme ‘Connecting Innovations Glocally’.
“KSA believes that Space science, technology and applications have the potential to spur economic growth. Earth Observation provides reliable, real-time information to support environmental monitoring which is vital for informed decision-making,” said the Acting DG during his keynote address.
He maintained that the Agency has invested significantly in Earth Observation with a number of projects such as project Monitoring for Decisions using Space Technologies (MIDST) where they have monitored forest cover, urbanization and disaster management.
“Africultures is a platform for hosting critical data that could be used to tackle food security in consortia with stakeholders from across the continent and lastly, KSA will be deploying a Data portal that will be hosting analysis-ready data and information to be shared with key stakeholders,” Brigadier Kipkosgey reiterated.
The Earth Observation Challenge aims at establishing a viable opportunity for startups and developing National Space Capabilities and promote the growth of Space industry.
KSA is a State Corporation domiciled in the Ministry of Defence mandated to promote, coordinate and regulate space-related activities in the country
Add Comment