Temidayo Oniosun on Why Africa’s Space Industry is Potentially a Big Deal

Space technology is not a thing a home-grown Nigerian young man is naturally drawn to. It is a subject that rarely comes up in any level of consciousness or national discourse. But Temidayo Oniosun is one of the very minute exceptions to that void.

Seeing that many developmental problems in Africa could be solved by Space programs, Temidayo, 26, made it his life’s mission to drum local and international support for the African Space and Satellite industry. 

Read the full interview HERE

This passion drove him to launch Space in Africa in 2018, an online platform that provides market intelligence – business, technology, discoveries, events and political information on the African space industry. The platform was instrumental to today’s extensive coverage of Africa’s Space category by international media such as BBC, CNN, and so on.

The accolades

Temidayo has received many international accolades including a recognition award from the International Institute of Space Commerce for his outstanding work in the African Space sector. He recounts his entrepreneurial journey in this interview with Business Elites Africa and speaks extensively on the growth, opportunities, and challenges in the Space industry.

Oniosun speaks at conferences across the world and regularly appears on various media calling for more government investment in space programs in Africa and leading conversations around the African Space and Satellite Industry. He also comments regularly on the African space program in various media.

Knowing about Space in Africa

BEA: A typical Nigerian kid wouldn’t choose to study Meteorology at the University. Was the course your choice or was it what the school offered you, as is the case for many others?

Temidayo: I kind of chose it. When I wrote the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board Examination, I wanted to study Mechanical Engineering, but my interest changed after the exam. I had shifted interest from Engineering to Space Technology but there was no course like that offered in the institution (Federal University of Technology Akure – FUTA) at the time. Meteorology was the closest thing to it, so I opted for it.

BEA: What is the current state of the Space industry in Africa?

Temidayo: First of all, Africa has a Space industry. I think a lot of people don’t know that. When people talk about space, they just think of NASA. Even when you talk about satellites in Nigeria, people just jokingly refer to the satellite that got lost. The industry in Africa is still at an early stage of development but it’s growing really fast. The majority of the players are foreigners. But in recent years we have seen the emergence of African-based companies.

We have a report we are releasing soon where we profiled 282 companies in Africa that are operating in the industry value chain. The industry is generating like $7.37 billion every year. That is projected to rise to over $10 billion by 2024.

To visualize the application of it, you can think of satellite TV services, that are powered by satellite services. You can think of broadband connectivity, fiber is still very popular but satellite communications also offer a lot of services in Africa. You can think of navigation systems – GPS and the likes.

And you can look at the engineering aspect of space, we have few companies in Africa that are now manufacturing satellite components that are flown on missions to the moon, space stations, and the likes. African countries are also increasing their investment in Space technology.

Last year, Nigeria’s space budget was over 5$0 million and this year’s budget passed $80 million. Altogether, Africa’s Space budget this year is almost $550 million. So far, 44 satellites have been launched by African nations while about 114 satellites are under development. In the next 4 years, the continent would have launched more than 150 satellites. So the industry is growing…

Read the full interview HERE