Nigeria Turns to French and Israeli Satellite Companies to Replace Chinese Company

 Business Insider Africa published on 24 August 2026 an article titled "After $11.4 Million China Satellite Debt Dispute, Nigeria Turns to Israeli, French Firms for Next-generation Satellites" by Solomon Ekanem.

Nigeria is turning to Israeli and French satellite manufacturers for its next-generation communications infrastructure, months after a dispute with China Great Wall Industry Corporation (CGWIC) exposed the country's dependence on China for critical satellite operations.  The decision follows a dispute with CGWIC, which threatened to suspend services over an $11.44 million debt.  

China and the US Compete in Africa for Satellite Development

 Semafor published on 3 August 2026 an article titled "Africa's Space Race Is Becoming Washington's Next China Challenge" by Yinka Adegoke.

Chinese companies have provided bundled satellite packages--combining hardware, launch services, financing, infrastructure and training--to more than 20 African countries.  The US, by contrast, has focused on satellite data, technical training, and regulatory cooperation rather than hardware.  This may leave Washington at a structural disadvantage.

Turkey Expands Influence in Africa

 AEI's Critical Threats Africa File posted on 16 April 2026 an analysis titled "Turkey Expands Influence in Africa" by Liam Karr and Michael DeAngelo.  

Turkey recently advanced economic and security ties with Somalia and Niger.  Both countries now serve as Ankara's anchors for further advancing its strategic interests in Africa.  In the case of Somalia, Turkey has assumed responsibility for managing and protecting its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) while it helps rebuild the defunct Somali navy in exchange for 30 percent of EEZ revenues.

Chinese Company Expands Satellite Cooperation with Morocco and Algeria

 Europe Says posted on 10 March 2026 an article titled "China's Geely Expands Satellite Partnerships with Morocco, Algeria."

China's Geely Auto and its aerospace division, Time Space Daoyu Technology Company, signed separate partnership agreements with Morocco and Algeria to strengthen satellite-related technology and infrastructure.

In Algeria, the cooperation focuses on building domestic aerospace manufacturing capacity.  In Morocco, the emphasis is on satellite connectivity services rather than manufacturing.

Russia Talking with Sahel Countries on Satellite Cooperation

 Business Insider Africa published on 22 January 2026 an article titled "Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger Turn to Russia to Build the Sahel's First Shared Telecom Satellite" by Solomon Ekanem.

Russia is in discussion with the governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger concerning joint satellite projects, including telecommunications and remote sensing satellites to expand broadband access, secure encrypted communications, and improve surveillance of under-serviced areas.  This is a further indication of a shift by these countries away from the West.

China's Space Engagement with Africa

 The Center for Strategic and International Studies published on 15 January 2026 a report titled "In China's Orbit: Beijing's Space Diplomacy in the Global South" by Matthew P. Funaiole, Brian Hart, and Aidan Powers-Riggs.

China is engaging in space cooperation across the Global South and Africa has emerged as a focal point of its efforts, especially Egypt, Ethiopia, and Namibia.  This study provides satellite photography to document China's facilities in all three countries.  

Ethiopian Volcano Eruption Impacts Indian Air Travel

 The BBC published on 25 November 2025 an article titled "Ethiopian Volcano Eruption Sends Ash to Delhi, Hitting Flight Operations" by Abhishek Dey.

An Ethiopian volcano dormant for several thousand years recently erupted sending an ash column to India, where it interrupted air travel.  

China-Africa Space Cooperation

 China-Africa Security Radar posted on 15 September 2025 an article titled "China in Africa's Space Age."

African countries are looking for practical applications of space technology.  China is increasingly meeting African needs but comes with two concerns: unsustainable debt and control over information.  

Can China's Internet Programs Catch Up to Elon Musk's Starlink?

 Swarajya, an Indian right-wing monthly magazine, published on 23 July 2025 an article titled "Xi Jinping's Starlink Challenge Stalls as China's Satellite Constellation Projects Face Launch Bottlenecks; India's Private Sector Advances."

Elon Musk's Starlink, the pioneering satellite internet service, faces competition from China's state-led Guowang and the Shanghai-backed Qianfan.  Musk's Starlink has launched more than 7,000 satellites providing connectivity to over five million customers in more than 100 countries.

Both of the Chinese projects face delays caused by rocket shortages, sluggish deployment rates, and internal competition.  As of July 2025, Guowang had launched only about 40 satellites in a program that envisages a network of over 13,000 that will provide high-speed internet for civilian and military use.

Qianfan, also known as SpaceSail and G60 Starlink, is backed by the Shanghai municipal government and plans to have 15,000 satellites by 2030.  To date, it has launched about 90 satellites and at least 17 of them have failed to reach their intended orbits.  State-backed Guowang receives launch priority, repeatedly pushing Qianfan to the sidelines.  

These problems in China's satellite programs may be alleviated, however, as Xi Jinping has reportedly instructed the People's Liberation Army to accelerate space-based communication systems in order to build a Chinese alternative to Starlink.  

Comment:  All of this has important implications for the Global South, and especially Africa, where Starlink has been slow to take hold and Chinese competition could challenge it.    

How China Turned the Red Sea into a Strategic Trap for the US

 The Atlantic Council published on 5 May 2025 an analysis titled "How China Turned the Red Sea into a Strategic Trap for the US" by Fatima Abo Alasrar, Washington Center for Yemen Studies.

From the beginning, China made a deal with the Houthis to exempt Chinese-flagged and owned vessels from attack.  Chinese companies subsequently strengthened Houthi capabilities by providing satellite targeting data.  Beijing now portrays the crisis as revealing "United States' impotence" against "non-traditional opponents like the Houthis" while claiming US military intervention has "only triggered more resistance."

Is Chinese Company Helping the Houthis Target Ships in Red Sea?

 The National Interest published on 22 April 2025 an article titled "Is a Chinese Satellite Firm Helping the Houthis Target U.S. Ships?" by Brandon J. Weichert, senior national security editor at The National Interest.

Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGST), a Chinese satellite company, has been "directly aiding Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen by providing satellite imagery used to target U.S. and international vessels in the Red Sea," according to Tammy Bruce, the spokeswoman for the United States Department of State.  CGST denies the allegation, although it was previously accused of assisting Russia's Wagner Group in 2023 during the Ukraine War.  The Houthis have exempted from attack ships associated with China, Russia, and Iran.  

Chinese Company Supports Houthi Attacks on US Interests

 Reuters published on 17 April 2025 an article titled "US Says Chinese Satellite Firm Is Supporting Houthi Attacks on US Interests."

The US State Department has accused a Chinese firm of supplying imagery to Houthi rebels in Yemen to target US warships and international shipping in the Red Sea.

China Builds Space Alliances in Africa

 Reuters published on 11 February 2025 a special report titled "China Builds Space Alliances in Africa as Trump Cuts Foreign Aid" by Joe Roulette, Eduardo Baptista, Sara El Safty, and Joe Brock.

China has forged nearly two dozen pacts with African countries in its bid to surpass the US in space investments in satellites and infrastructure.  This is winning friends and giving China more eyes on the skies as the US slashes foreign aid for developing countries.

The space equipment that Beijing is placing in developing countries may help China create a global surveillance network.  China has democratized space to enhance its authoritarian capabilities, and it is doing so effectively.  As China advances its relationships in Africa with technology incentives, the US is pulling back.   

Turkey Is Building a Spaceport in Somalia

 The Economist posted on 6 February 2025 an article titled "Turkey Is Building a Spaceport in Somalia."

The Turkish Space Agency was founded in 2018, and in 2021 President Recep Erdogan announced a ten-year plan for space, including home-made satellites and a moon landing.  In December 2024, the government began work on a spaceport in Somalia, a project that has been projected to cost $350 million.  Space is a matter of national prestige for Erdogan, but it is also an important auxiliary to the booming Turkish defense industry.  

China's StarTimes Digital TV Outreach to Africa Disappoints

 The BBC published on 2 September 2024 an article titled "China's Mission to Win African Hearts with Satellite TV" by Shawn Yuan.  

China funds StarTimes private digital TV in African villages as part of its soft power program.  It began as a free aid project but became a subscription service at subsidized rates.  Many villagers cancelled their TV service after the free trial period ended.  The initiative began with much promise but has become a disappointing part of China's soft power effort in Africa.

China and US Compete for Space Cooperation in Africa

 The Africa at LSE blog posted on 19 April 2024 a commentary titled "China and America Woo African Space Agencies in the New Space Race" by Scott Firsing.

China and the United States are trying to leverage their strength in space to foster partnerships with African countries that support Africa's development agendas.  This kind of competition could well work to the advantage of African governments.  

What Happened to China's Spaceport in Djibouti?

Spain's Atalayar Between Two Shores posted on 13 February 2024 an article titled "China's New Ambition: To Set Up a Space Base in the Horn of Africa" by Juan Pons.

The article reviews the Chinese initiative that resulted in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in January 2023 between Djibouti's Ministry of Higher Education and Research and two private Chinese companies: Touchroad International Holdings Group and Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group.  This joint venture is aiming to operate satellite launches with no less than seven pads and three rocket engine test beds on a 10 square kilometer site near Obock in Djibouti.  The investment is expected to exceed $1 billion.

Space in Africa published on 18 December 2023 an article titled "2023 in Review: Remarkable Feats from Djibouti's Growing Space Programme" by Ayooluwa Adetola.

The article contains an interview with a senior official in Djibouti's Ministry of Higher Education and Research, which signed the international commercial spaceport MOU with Hong Kong Aerospace Technology Group and Touchroad International Holdings Group.  The Djiboutian official said the proposed location for the spaceport is "ready in the desert before the sea in Obock."  He added that "for us, the actual start is when we sign the contract, where the responsibilities of all parties are properly spelt out, and the project's feasibility is confirmed." Djibouti is "waiting for the finer details of the contract to be ironed out."

 By way of background, Foreign Policy published on 21 April 2023 an article titled "China's Space Dream Is a Legal Nightmare" by Benjamin Silverstein, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

This piece provides the rationale for a spaceport in Djibouti and the practical and legal challenges to implementing the project.

Comment:  While this ambitious project is still very much under discussion by the government of Djibouti and the companies in Hong Kong and China, it remains a proposal and not an established fact.  

China Launches Egyptian Remote Sensing Satellite

 Middle East Monitor published on 5 December 2023 an article titled "Egypt's First Domestically Assembled Satellite Launched into Orbit from China."

China launched Egypt's first domestically assembled satellite, the MisrSat-2, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.  The satellite will serve Egypt's sustainable development goals by utilizing space technology to enhance vital areas, including agriculture, exploration of mineral resources, identification of surface water sources, and studying the impacts of climate change on the environment.  

China-Africa Space Cooperation

 The South China Morning Post published on 21 November 2023 an article titled "How China Ties Space Projects in Africa with Climate and Security Priorities" by Jevans Nyabiage.

While a number of countries collaborate with Africa on satellite launches and space cooperation, China does so in a manner that coordinates them with its foreign policy.

China's Space Collaboration with Africa

 The US Institute of Peace published in September 2023 a special report titled "China's Space Collaboration with Africa: Implications and Recommendations for the United States" by Julie Michelle Klinger and Temidayo Isaiah Oniosun.  

China is increasingly offering space science and space cooperation as an incentive for African states to form closer ties to Beijing.  The actors involved include government agencies, private and quasi-private companies, and academic institutions in both China and African partner states.  China has provided financing and training, built satellites and ground stations, and cooperated on satellite navigation and climate monitoring.  Most of China's engagement has been in Nigeria, Algeria, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Sudan