Tinubu Greenlights Major Funding Boost for Nigeria’s Space Program to Drive Economic Growth
In a decisive move to position Nigeria as a competitive player in the global space economy, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate release of funds for the maintenance of the nation’s space assets.
The directive, issued during the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday, marks a significant shift toward a more accountable and results-driven national space policy.
Represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, the President emphasized that Nigeria’s celestial ambitions must translate into tangible benefits for everyday citizens.
He stressed that the revamped space program is not a “distant dream” but a practical tool designed to serve farmers in the field, teachers in the classroom, and security forces monitoring the nation’s borders. By anchoring space development in national value, the administration aims to replace guesswork with evidence-based planning across all sectors of the economy.
Central to this new push is the implementation of a revised 25-year roadmap for space development. President Tinubu directed that the costs for this long-term strategy be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council for formal approval. He noted that the global space economy is projected to exceed $1 trillion by 2040, and Nigeria intends to participate actively in this growth rather than watching from the sidelines.
The President highlighted that investment in space technology is the bedrock of cybersecurity, a vibrant digital economy, and advanced environmental protection measures, such as early warning systems for floods and fires.
To ensure the security and sovereignty of Nigeria’s orbital resources, the President empowered the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) to strictly enforce space regulations and spectrum management as provided in the NASRDA Act 2010. He issued a stern directive to all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs), as well as private sector stakeholders, to comply with the national space regulatory framework, while instructing the Federal Ministry of Finance to ensure the timely release of all approved project funds.
Providing further details on the Council’s resolutions, the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr. Kingsley Udeh, described the meeting as a historic turning point for the industry. A key outcome was the approval of new “Conditions of Service and Staff Regulation” for NASRDA. This move is specifically designed to provide competitive remuneration for Nigerian space experts, effectively tackling “brain drain” by incentivizing local talent to remain in the country and sustain the national program.
The Council also moved to establish a specialized working group of experts comprising representatives from NASRDA, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the National Defence Space Agency, and NIGCOMSAT to refine the 25-year roadmap. Furthermore, approval was granted for the development of the Bola Ahmed
Tinubu Space Centre in Epe. Once operational, the center is expected to give Nigeria the sovereign capacity to launch and maintain its own satellites, significantly reducing the country’s long-standing reliance on foreign expertise and infrastructure.
