By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
Somalia has reaffirmed its
commitment to strengthening national capabilities in space and satellite
technologies after participating in the 4th Symposium on China-Africa Satellite
Remote Sensing Application Cooperation (CACSA) held in Beijing, China, on September
15–16, 2026.
Mohamed Abubakar Ismail,
Director of Space and Satellite, represented the Federal Republic of Somalia at
the symposium and served as moderator of Session 2, which focused on country
reports on CACSA use cases.
The session brought together
space, Earth observation and remote-sensing experts from Zimbabwe, Egypt,
Rwanda, Ghana, Senegal, Gabon and Algeria, alongside Chinese colleagues from
LASAC.
Discussions focused on the
practical use of satellite remote sensing and Earth observation to address
development challenges, including sustainable development, disaster monitoring,
national spatial planning, natural-resource management and evidence-based
decision-making.
According to Ismail, the
discussions demonstrated the growing importance of space technology beyond
activities directly related to reaching space, with satellite-based
capabilities increasingly being applied to solve challenges on Earth.
For Somalia, participation
in forums such as CACSA provides an opportunity to strengthen national
capabilities in space and satellite technologies, Earth observation, technical
expertise and international cooperation.
Ismail said the exchange of
knowledge with African institutions and Chinese partners could help move
cooperation beyond dialogue towards practical projects, capacity building, data
access, technology transfer and applications capable of delivering measurable
benefits to countries and communities.
China-Africa cooperation in
satellite remote sensing also includes efforts to advance the China-Africa
Cooperation Center on Satellite Remote Sensing Application, including the
sharing of satellite data, products, software and tools, as well as demonstration
cooperation in remote-sensing applications.
Ismail said Somalia must
continue building partnerships, human capacity and infrastructure to translate
satellite data into practical solutions for its national development
priorities.
He expressed appreciation to
CACSA, LASAC, the organisers and Chinese hosts for the hospitality and
organisation of the symposium, as well as to African counterparts for the
knowledge-sharing and professional exchanges.
The Beijing meeting provided
Somalia with an additional platform to engage with African and Chinese space
stakeholders as the country works to develop its space and satellite
capabilities and strengthen the application of Earth observation technologies to
national development.
