Public Lecture and Graduation Ceremony
On 4th July 2024, ASLI welcomed 20 students and young professionals, for the 2nd African Space Policy and Strategy (ASP) course.
The participants from Botswana, Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, participated in a 5-week programme examining Africa’s space sector and ecosystem, within the context of the global space economy and governance system. The course is hinged on the African Space Policy and Strategy - the continental frameworks for Africa’s policies, positions, programmes and partnerships in outer space - which were adopted by African Heads of States and Governments in 2016.
You are welcome to participate in the virtual ceremony of the participants of the course, which will also feature a Public Lecture by Davis Cook (Chairman, Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability). The theme of the lecture is "The Role of African Multilateral Financial Institutions in Developing the Space Economy and Satellite Infrastructure."
It takes note of the efforts of the African Union establish financial institutions, namely: the African Central Bank (ACB), African Monetary Fund (AMF) and African Investment Bank (AIB) and the Pan-African Stock Exchange (PASE).
It also takes note of the recent launch of the Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI), a.k.a. Africa Club. The members of the Alliance include the African Export Import Bank (AfreximBank), Trade and Development Bank (TDB), Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re), African Trade and Investment Development Insurance (ATIDI), Shelter Afrique Development Bank (SHAFDB), and ZEP-RE (PTA Reinsurance Co.).
Furthermore, the African Union is making efforts to operationalise the African Space Agency (hosted in Egypt) and the Pan African University - Institute for Space Science (to be hosted in the Southern Africa region).
The Guest Speaker, Davis Cook, is a Partner and Chairman at the Research Institute for Innovation and Sustainability (RIIS) - the largest innovation advisory firm in Africa, focused on the nexus of strategy, innovation, and development. In his previous role as CEO at RIIS, he established what is now the one of the largest African-grown space advisory practices. He is now based in Kenya where he leads the East Africa activities of the broader Anza group, which include RIIS, Anza Capital, an early-stage VC fund, and the SA Innovation Summit (one of the largest start-up events in Africa).
Davis is the past Chairperson for ZASpace, the industry lobby group for the South African private space sector, a Karman Fellow, and an M&G 200 Young South African Leader. He has a diverse professional history, including global strategy and management consulting, public sector (SA local government), start-ups (renewable energy and FMCG) and multinational environments (including natural resources). Having worked across Johannesburg, London and Nairobi, he has worked with multinational companies and development-focused institutions in 35 countries. His work at RIIS has helped (or is helping to) build major innovation ecosystems in the mining, energy, and space sectors across Africa.
The opening remarks will be given by Hendrina Doroba (Division Manager, Education and Skills Development, African Development Bank Group (AfDB).
Hendrina is an educationalist, mathematician, gender expert, development practitioner, and policy advocate. Prior to joining the AfDB, she was the Executive Director for the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE), where she was responsible for the day-to-day management of the organization. Specifically ensuring that the FAWE Regional secretariat fiscal operations, fundraising, advocacy, human resource and programmatic strategies are effectively implemented across the FAWE network.