GPS World

Tag: Ethiopia

  • ArkEdge Space with consortium to accelerate space business co-creation in Africa

    ArkEdge Space with consortium to accelerate space business co-creation in Africa

    ArkEdge Space Inc. has formed a consortium with General Incorporated Association Cross U, Axelspace Corporation, and Double Feather Partners to promote co-creation in the African space market. The four organizations entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Feb. 18 to establish a framework for collaboration.

    ArkEdge Space is a Tokyo-based space start-up delivering micro-satellite constellations from design to operations.

    The consortium seeks to move beyond conventional official development assistance frameworks by directly connecting Japan’s advanced space technologies with the private-sector dynamism of African nations. It will embed Japanese digital infrastructure, including satellite systems, data platforms, and space-enabled services, into Africa’s social and economic foundations.

    Through this approach, the initiative aims to operationalize within the space domain the principles of Japan’s “Free and Open Indo-Pacific” vision, originally advocated by the Japanese government in 2016 under then-Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

    Sustainable co-creation model
    Across Africa, countries face urgent challenges, including climate change-driven droughts and floods, food security risks, and growing infrastructure demands from rapid urbanization. Satellite data and space-based technologies offer concrete tools to address these issues; however, limited local infrastructure, institutional readiness, and operational know-how continue to constrain practical implementation.

    Through the Cross U Africa Initiative Working Group established in November 2025, the four organizations collaborated with more than 20 Japanese partners across industry, academia and government to explore concrete models for co-creation with African nations.

    In January, the parties established the consortium to move beyond the cooperation phase and enter an implementation phase, driving concrete, private-sector-led business across the continent, following participation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan’s Public and Private Joint Mission for Promoting Trade and Investment in Africa.

    The consortium seeks to bring to life, within the space industry, the principle of “co-creation of innovative solutions” set forth in the Yokohama Declaration adopted at TICAD 9. Rather than simply transferring technology, it aims to build genuine partnerships with African business counterparts and cultivate a space industry ecosystem that drives economic growth for both Japan and African nations.

    Co-creation in Ethiopia using satellite data
    A pilot project was launched in Ethiopia in Ethiopia in January when Axelspace and Ethiopian technology company Jethi Software Development PLC signed a MoU to collaborate on the use of satellite data to address pressing social challenges. Ethiopia will serve as a reference model for future expansion across the continent.

    By integrating Axelspace’s expertise in high-frequency satellite data analytics with Jethi’s local network and software development capabilities, the partners will develop solutions targeting Ethiopia’s most pressing priorities, including agricultural productivity, forest conservation, and urban planning optimization.

    The project aims to establish a sustainable business model in which local enterprises independently operate and monetize satellite-enabled services. Through this model, Japanese space technologies can be embedded into Ethiopia’s social and economic infrastructure, enabling both sustained business growth and measurable social impact.

    Outlook
    In April, consortium members will return to Africa to engage in discussions with local public institutions aimed at forming additional implementable projects and advancing new co-creation models.

    As a key year for translating TICAD 9 commitments into tangible action, the consortium will present progress updates at Nihobashi Space Week 2026 in November, one of Asia’s largest space business events.

    The consortium will continue expanding partnerships across African nations, with the goal of embedding space-based technologies into local economies and fostering industries that endure beyond any single project or funding cycle.

  • On the Edge: Sharing GNSS Wealth

    Workshop participants from Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya assemble a Mindstorm robot to trial autonomous navigation.
    Workshop participants from Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya assemble a Mindstorm robot to trial autonomous navigation.

    By Patricia Doherty

    Last year I helped coordinate a three-week workshop for 50 scientists from 15 African countries, introducing the basics of GPS for applications with socioeconomic benefits and scientific exploration. Held in Trieste, Italy, the workshop was quite successful, producing new initiatives on the African continent. We repeat the workshop next month, 
April 6–24, again in Trieste.

    Since the 2009 training, regional GNSS workshops have taken place in Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, and Ethiopia. We have initiated scientific collaborations with universities in Nigeria, Kenya, Zambia, Egypt, and Uganda, deploying GPS receivers at each institution, with the understanding that the data will ultimately be shared within Africa and the world.

    This effort is a way to share with Africa and Africans the wealth that GNSS has brought to the developed world.

    Africa’s 2006 Science and Technology Plan of Action states Africa’s commitment to develop and use science and technology for socio-economic transformation and full integration into the world economy. The leading problems that continue to cripple much of Africa include hunger, extreme poverty, erosion of natural resources, and natural disasters. GNSS can help address these problems and ultimately meet the plan’s goals. Specifically, GNSS applications can increase food security, manage natural resources, provide efficient emergency location services, improve surveying and mapping, and provide greater precision and safety in land, water, and air navigation systems. GNSS also has applications in scientific study including space weather, geophysics, geography, geology, ecology, and biology.

    Workshop participants included professors and graduate students from Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, and Zambia. The more than 25 lecturers came from the United States, Europe, and Africa.

    Edge-2The workshop integrated formal lectures with hands-on practice in GNSS architecture, signal structure, hardware design, state-of-the-art applications, and scientific exploration. An on-site computer laboratory enabled participants to perform positioning calculations; use mapping and surveying software; plan a precision farming procedure; and analyze atmospheric and ionospheric data — all from GPS measurements. In addition, participants built Lego Mindstorm robots to demonstrate autonomous navigation.

    One of the benefits of this program was that scientists and engineers from the United States had opportunities to discuss common interests with African scientists and engineers. Many research programs utilize GPS ground- and space-based measurements. Unfortunately, studies over the African region have not been possible due to the lack of dependable long-term measurements. This workshop opened the door to establishing a base of measurements for joint studies with our African colleagues.

    Many lecturers remarked that this was the most enriching teaching experience of their careers. The African participants said that they learned a great deal and were very appreciative of the opportunity to participate in this program.

    Workshop sponsors include Boston College’s Institute for Scientific Research (where I work), the Abdus Salam International Center for Theoretical Physics in Trieste (where my colleague and workshop co-director Sandro Radicella is head of the Radiopropagation Laboratory), Institute of Navigation, Federal Aviation Administration, Air Force Research Laboratory, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, National Science Foundation, Trimble, and NovAtel.

    To learn more about the workshop, participate, or contribute, please contact Patricia.Doherty @ bc.edu