***Zimbabwe ZimSat-3 is scheduled for launch in early 2026. Tunisia first educational satellite has completed development and is awaiting its launch slot. BurkinaSat-1 by Burkina Faso’s 1U CubeSat is also expected to be launched in 2026.
Satellites Owned by African Countries
Total inventory including Active, Deorbited, and Failed units (Projected 2026)
African Satellites Inventory
| # | Country | Satellite Name | Type | Manufacturer | Bus System | Payload Description | Mass (kg) | Project Cost | Mission Life | Status (2026) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Algeria | AlSat-1 | EO | SSTL | SSTL-100 | 32m SLIM-6 Imager | 90 | ~$15M | 5y | Deorbited | ASAL |
| 2 | Algeria | AlSat-2A | EO | Airbus | AstroBus-100 | 2.5m NAOMI Pan | 116 | ~$25M | 7y | Active | eoPortal |
| 3 | Algeria | AlSat-1B | EO | ASAL / SSTL | SSTL-100 | Disaster Monitoring | 103 | ~$15M | 5y | Active | WMO |
| 4 | Algeria | AlSat-2B | EO | ASAL / Airbus | AstroBus-100 | 2.5m NAOMI Pan | 117 | ~$25M | 7y | Active | ASAL |
| 5 | Algeria | AlSat-1N | Nano | ASAL / UKSA | 3U CubeSat | Tech Demo (Thin-film) | 7 | ~$1.2M | 2y | Active | Nanosats |
| 6 | Algeria | Alcomsat-1 | Telecom | CAST | DFH-4 | Ka/Ku-band Comms | 5,225 | ~$250M | 15y | Active | Gunter’s |
| 7 | Angola | Angosat-1 | Telecom | RSC Energia | USP Bus | 16 C / 6 Ku Transpond. | 1,647 | ~$300M | 15y | Failed | GGPEN |
| 8 | Angola | Angosat-2 | Telecom | ISS Reshetnev | Express-1000 | HTS Comms / Broadband | 1,964 | ~$300M | 15y | Active | GGPEN |
| 9 | Botswana | BotSat-1 | EO | CPUT / BIUST | 3U CubeSat | Agriculture / Mining | 4 | ~$0.8M | 2y | Active | Space Africa |
| 10 | Djibouti | Djibouti-1A | EO | CSU-Montp. | 1U CubeSat | Climatology Sensors | 1.1 | ~$1.5M | 2y | Active | CSU |
| 11 | Djibouti | Djibouti-1B | EO | CSU-Montp. | 1U CubeSat | Water Monitoring | 1.1 | ~$1.5M | 2y | Active | Nanosats |
| 12 | Egypt | Nilesat-101 | Telecom | Matra/Astrium | Eurostar-2000 | DTH TV Broadcast | 2,330 | ~$150M | 12y | Deorbited | Nilesat |
| 13 | Egypt | Nilesat-102 | Telecom | Matra/Astrium | Eurostar-2000 | DTH TV Broadcast | 2,330 | ~$150M | 12y | Deorbited | Nilesat |
| 14 | Egypt | EgyptSat-1 | EO | Yuzhnoye | MS-2-8 | 7.8m Pan/MS Camera | 160 | ~$20M | 5y | Lost | EgSA |
| 15 | Egypt | Nilesat-201 | Telecom | Thales Alenia | Spacebus-4000 | Digital Broadcast | 3,200 | ~$200M | 15y | Active | Nilesat |
| 16 | Egypt | EgyptSat-2 | EO | RSC Energia | 559GK | 1m Resolution Optical | 1,050 | ~$40M | 11y | Failed | EgSA |
| 17 | Egypt | EgyptSat-A | EO | RSC Energia | Victoria | High-res Optical EO | 1,050 | ~$100M | 11y | Active | EgSA |
| 18 | Egypt | NARSSCube-1 | Nano | EgSA | 1U CubeSat | Tech Demo Camera | 1 | ~$0.2M | 1y | Deorbited | EgSA |
| 19 | Egypt | NARSSCube-2 | Nano | EgSA | 1U CubeSat | Tech Demo Camera | 1 | ~$0.2M | 1y | Deorbited | EgSA |
| 20 | Egypt | TIBA-1 | MilCom | Thales/Airbus | Eurostar-3000 | Secure Gov Comms | 5,600 | ~$600M | 15y | Active | Thales |
| 21 | Egypt | Nilesat-301 | Telecom | Thales Alenia | Spacebus-4000 | 38 Transponders | 4,100 | ~$250M | 15y | Active | Nilesat |
| 22 | Egypt | Horus-1 | EO | CAST | MisrSat-Nano | Remote Sensing | 300+ | ~$35M | 5y | Active | Space Africa |
| 23 | Egypt | Horus-2 | EO | CAST | MisrSat-Nano | Remote Sensing | 300+ | ~$35M | 5y | Active | Space Africa |
| 24 | Egypt | MisrSat-2 | EO | CAST | CAST-1000 | 2m Pan / 8m MS | 350 | ~$72M | 5y | Active | EgSA |
| 25 | Egypt | NExSat-1 | EO | BST / EgSA | MicroBus | Tech Localization | 65 | ~$5M | 3y | Active | BST |
| 26 | Egypt | EgSACube-3 | Nano | EgSA | 1U CubeSat | Research Sensors | 1.3 | ~$0.3M | 2y | Active | EgSA |
| 27 | Egypt | EgSACube-4 | Nano | EgSA | 1U CubeSat | Research Sensors | 1.3 | ~$0.3M | 2y | Active | EgSA |
| 28 | Egypt | SPNEX | EO | EgSA / CAST | MicroBus | Environmental Monit. | ~50 | ~$3M | 3y | Active | EgSA |
| 29 | Ethiopia | ETRSS-1 | EO | CAST | CAST-2000 | Wide-range Multispec | 72 | ~$8M | 3y | Active | ESSTI |
| 30 | Ethiopia | ET-SMART-RSS | EO | CAST / ESSTI | 6U CubeSat | Agri Mapping | 9 | ~$1.5M | 2y | Deorbited | Nanosats |
| 31 | Ethiopia | ET-RS1-Nano | Nano | ESSTI | 1U CubeSat | Univ. Research | 1.1 | ~$0.2M | 1y | Active | ESSTI |
| 32 | Ghana | GhanaSat-1 | Nano | ANU / Kyushu | Birds-1 (1U) | 2-Color Imaging | 1.1 | ~$0.5M | 1y | Deorbited | Birds-1 |
| 33 | Kenya | 1KUNS-PF | Nano | UoN / ASI | 1U CubeSat | Tech Demo Camera | 1.1 | ~$1.0M | 1y | Deorbited | KSA |
| 34 | Kenya | Taifa-1 | EO | SayariLabs | 3U CubeSat | Hyperspectral Optical | 5 | ~$0.37M | 5y | Active | SayariLabs |
| 35 | Kenya | KenyaSat-2 | Nano | KSA / Partner | 3U CubeSat | Env. Monitoring | 4 | ~$0.4M | 3y | Active | KSA |
| 36 | Mauritius | MIR-Sat 1 | Nano | MOI / JAXA | 1U CubeSat | X-Band Tech Demo | 1.1 | ~$0.3M | 1y | Active | MOI |
| 37 | Morocco | Maroc-TUBSAT | EO | TU Berlin | MicroBus | Tech Demo Imager | 47 | ~$3M | 2y | Deorbited | TU Berlin |
| 38 | Morocco | Moham. VI-A | Recon | Thales/Airbus | AstroBus-L | 0.7m Hi-Res Optical | 1,110 | ~$300M | 5y | Active | CRTS |
| 39 | Morocco | Moham. VI-B | Recon | Thales/Airbus | AstroBus-L | 0.7m Hi-Res Optical | 1,110 | ~$300M | 5y | Active | CRTS |
| 40 | Nigeria | NigeriaSat-1 | EO | SSTL | SSTL-100 | 32m Multi-spectral | 94 | ~$13M | 5y | Deorbited | NASRDA |
| 41 | Nigeria | NigComSat-1 | Telecom | CAST | DFH-4 | L/C/Ku/Ka Bands | 5,150 | ~$250M | 15y | Failed | NIGCOMSAT |
| 42 | Nigeria | NigComSat-1R | Telecom | CAST | DFH-4 | L/C/Ku/Ka Replacement | 5,150 | Insurance | 15y | Active | NIGCOMSAT |
| 43 | Nigeria | NigeriaSat-2 | EO | SSTL | SSTL-300i | 2.5m Pan / 5m MS | 286 | ~$35M | 7y | Active | NASRDA |
| 44 | Nigeria | NigeriaSat-X | EO | SSTL/NASRDA | SSTL-100 | 32m Multi-spectral | 168 | ~$15M | 5y | Active | SSTL |
| 45 | Nigeria | EduSat-1 | Nano | FUTA/Kyushu | Birds-1 (1U) | Digi-talker / Imaging | 1.1 | ~$0.5M | 1y | Deorbited | Birds-1 |
| 46 | Nigeria | EduSat-2 | Nano | FUTA/NASRDA | 1U CubeSat | Academic Education | 1.1 | ~$0.2M | 2y | Active | NASRDA |
| 47 | Rwanda | Rwasat-1 | Nano | Tokyo Univ. | 3U CubeSat | Agri-Data Relay | 3.8 | ~$0.4M | 2y | Active | RSA |
| 48 | Rwanda | WBESAT | Telecom | OneWeb | LEO Bus | Rural Connectivity | 150 | ~$5M | 5y | Active | OneWeb |
| 49 | Senegal | Gaindesat-1A | EO | CSU-Montp. | 1U CubeSat | Tech Demo / Comms | 1.3 | ~$1.2M | 2y | Active | MESRI |
| 50 | S. Africa | SUNSAT | EO | Stellenbosch | MicroBus | 15m Stereo Camera | 64 | ~$4M | 2y | Deorbited | SUNSAT |
| 51 | S. Africa | SumbandilaSat | EO | SunSpace | MicroBus | Multi-Spectral Imager | 81 | ~$3M | 3y | Failed | SANSA |
| 52 | S. Africa | ZACube-1 | Nano | CPUT | 1U CubeSat | Space Weather / HF | 1.2 | ~$0.6M | 1y | Deorbited | eoPortal |
| 53 | S. Africa | nSight-1 | Nano | SCS Space | 2U CubeSat | QB50 Project Imager | 2.5 | ~$0.5M | 1y | Deorbited | Nanosats |
| 54 | S. Africa | ZA-AEROSAT | EO | CPUT | 2U CubeSat | Tech Demo | 2.2 | ~$0.5M | 1y | Deorbited | CPUT |
| 55 | S. Africa | ZACube-2 | Maritime | CPUT | 3U CubeSat | AIS (Vessel Tracking) | 4 | ~$1.2M | 3y | Active | CPUT |
| 56 | S. Africa | MDASat-1a | Maritime | CPUT | 3U CubeSat | VDE Constellation | 5 | ~$2M | 3y | Active | CPUT |
| 57 | S. Africa | MDASat-1b | Maritime | CPUT | 3U CubeSat | VDE Constellation | 5 | ~$2M | 3y | Active | CPUT |
| 58 | S. Africa | MDASat-1c | Maritime | CPUT | 3U CubeSat | VDE Constellation | 5 | ~$2M | 3y | Active | CPUT |
| 59 | S. Africa | EOSAT-1 | EO | SANSA | MSMI | Multi-Spectral Imager | 350 | ~$25M | 7y | Active | SANSA |
| 60 | S. Africa | FireSat | Nano | CPUT | 2U CubeSat | Wildfire Detection | 2 | ~$0.4M | 1y | Deorbited | CPUT |
| 61 | S. Africa | ZACube-3 | Nano | CPUT | 3U CubeSat | High-Freq Research | 4 | ~$0.8M | 3y | Active | Nanosats |
| 62 | Sudan | SRSS-1 | EO | CAST | CAST-2000 | Multi-Spectral Imager | 72 | ~$15M | 3y | Active | Gunter’s |
| 63 | Tunisia | Challenge-1 | IoT | Telnet | 3U CubeSat | LoRa Comms / IoT | 3 | ~$1.0M | 3y | Active | Telnet |
| 64 | Uganda | PearlAfrica-1 | EO | Kyushu Inst. | Birds-5 (1U) | Multispectral Camera | 1.1 | ~$0.3M | 2y | Active | MoSTI |
| 65 | Zimbabwe | ZimSat-1 | EO | Kyushu Inst. | Birds-5 (1U) | Land Cover Imager | 1.1 | ~$0.3M | 2y | Active | ZINGSA |
Annual GDP of all 54 African Countries
Values expressed in Billions of USD ($)
| # | Country | 2023 Actual | 2024 Estimate | 2025 Projection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | $380.60 | $373.20 | $410.30 |
| 2 | Egypt | $393.80 | $347.60 | $347.30 |
| 3 | Algeria | $247.80 | $266.80 | $268.90 |
| 4 | Nigeria | $363.80 | $252.70 | $188.30 |
| 5 | Morocco | $144.40 | $152.40 | $165.80 |
| 6 | Kenya | $108.70 | $104.00 | $131.70 |
| 7 | Ethiopia | $159.80 | $205.10 | $117.50 |
| 8 | Angola | $109.80 | $92.10 | $113.30 |
| 9 | Côte d’Ivoire | $79.60 | $86.90 | $94.50 |
| 10 | Ghana | $80.50 | $75.20 | $88.30 |
| 11 | Tanzania | $79.10 | $79.60 | $86.00 |
| 12 | DRC | $64.40 | $73.80 | $79.10 |
| 13 | Uganda | $51.90 | $56.30 | $64.30 |
| 14 | Tunisia | $48.50 | $54.70 | $56.30 |
| 15 | Cameroon | $49.30 | $53.20 | $56.00 |
| 16 | Libya | $44.00 | $48.20 | $47.50 |
| 17 | Zimbabwe | $35.10 | $34.20 | $38.20 |
| 18 | Senegal | $30.60 | $35.50 | $34.70 |
| 19 | Sudan | $37.00 | $26.80 | $31.50 |
| 20 | Guinea | $22.80 | $25.10 | $30.10 |
| 21 | Zambia | $27.60 | $29.40 | $28.90 |
| 22 | Burkina Faso | $21.20 | $23.40 | $27.10 |
| 23 | Mozambique | $21.00 | $22.90 | $23.80 |
| 24 | Mali | $21.20 | $22.10 | $23.20 |
| 25 | Benin | $19.70 | $21.40 | $22.20 |
| 26 | Niger | $16.80 | $19.20 | $21.90 |
| 27 | Gabon | $20.10 | $20.50 | $20.40 |
| 28 | Botswana | $19.40 | $19.30 | $19.40 |
| 29 | Chad | $18.30 | $18.70 | $18.80 |
| 30 | Madagascar | $15.90 | $17.00 | $18.70 |
| 31 | Mauritius | $14.10 | $15.00 | $15.50 |
| 32 | Congo, Rep. | $14.20 | $14.80 | $15.30 |
| 33 | Rwanda | $14.30 | $14.60 | $14.80 |
| 34 | Namibia | $12.40 | $13.50 | $14.20 |
| 35 | Malawi | $13.40 | $13.60 | $14.00 |
| 36 | Somalia | $11.00 | $12.10 | $13.00 |
| 37 | Eq. Guinea | $12.30 | $12.50 | $12.70 |
| 38 | Mauritania | $10.60 | $11.20 | $11.50 |
| 39 | Togo | $9.10 | $9.80 | $10.00 |
| 40 | Sierra Leone | $6.40 | $7.20 | $8.40 |
| 41 | Burundi | $4.20 | $5.10 | $6.70 |
| 42 | Eswatini | $4.90 | $5.20 | $5.50 |
| 43 | Liberia | $4.40 | $4.90 | $5.20 |
| 44 | Djibouti | $3.90 | $4.30 | $4.60 |
| 45 | CAR | $2.60 | $2.80 | $2.90 |
| 46 | Cabo Verde | $2.60 | $2.70 | $2.80 |
| 47 | Gambia | $2.30 | $2.50 | $2.80 |
| 48 | Lesotho | $2.20 | $2.30 | $2.40 |
| 49 | Guinea-Bissau | $2.00 | $2.10 | $2.30 |
| 50 | Seychelles | $2.20 | $2.20 | $2.20 |
| 51 | Comoros | $1.30 | $1.40 | $1.50 |
| 52 | S. Tome & P. | $0.70 | $0.80 | $0.90 |
| 53 | Eritrea | $2.00 | $2.10 | $2.10 |
| 54 | South Sudan | $5.20 | $4.10 | $3.80 |
* Nigeria and Egypt projections reflect significant currency adjustments in 2024-2025.
African Nations Space & ICT Economic Indicators
Analysis of GDP vs. Tech Investment Priorities (2023-2024 Data)
| # | Country | 2023 GDP (Billion) | Space & ICT (% of GDP) | Estimated Primary Investment Focus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | $380.6 | 0.82% | SKAO, SANSA Infrastructure, SA-Connect |
| 2 | Egypt | $393.8 | 1.15% | EgSA AIT Centers, TIBA-1 Ops, MisrSat-2 |
| 3 | Nigeria | $363.8 | 0.65% | NIGCOMSAT-1R, NASRDA R&D, Fiber Backbone |
| 4 | Algeria | $247.8 | 0.74% | ASAL Satellite Fleet, Alcomsat-1 Ground Segment |
| 5 | Morocco | $144.4 | 0.90% | Moham. VI Operations, UM5 Academic Space |
| 6 | Ethiopia | $159.8 | 0.45% | Entoto Observatory, ETRSS Data Integration |
| 7 | Kenya | $108.7 | 0.58% | KSA Taifa-1, Silicon Savannah Digital Ops |
| 8 | Angola | $109.8 | 0.70% | Angosat-2 Management, GGPEN Training |
| 9 | Ghana | $80.5 | 0.42% | Digital Ghana Agenda, GSSTI CubeSat R&D |
| 10 | Tanzania | $79.1 | 0.38% | National ICT Fiber Backbone, TASA Prep |
| 11 | Cote d’Ivoire | $79.6 | 0.50% | Regional Telecom Hub, Digital Transformation |
| 12 | DRC | $64.4 | 0.15% | Basic Telecom Connectivity, Mining Tech |
| 13 | Uganda | $51.9 | 0.40% | PearlAfricaSat-1, STI Secretariat Programs |
| 14 | Tunisia | $48.5 | 0.55% | Challenge-1 IoT, Telnet Aerospace R&D |
| 15 | Cameroon | $49.3 | 0.32% | National Broadband, CAMTEL Modernization |
| 16 | Senegal | $30.6 | 0.68% | Gaindesat-1A, Diamniadio Tech Park |
| 17 | Zimbabwe | $35.1 | 0.45% | ZINGSA ZimSat-1/2, Mining Digitization |
| 18 | Sudan | $37.0 | 0.12% | SRSS-1 Maintenance (Minimal due to conflict) |
| 19 | Botswana | $19.4 | 0.52% | BotSat-1 development, BIUST Space Labs |
| 20 | Rwanda | $14.3 | 1.25% | Rwanda Space Agency, OneWeb Partnership |
| 21 | Mauritius | $14.1 | 0.60% | MIR-Sat 1, Maritime Surveillance Tech |
| 22 | Djibouti | $3.9 | 1.40% | Djibouti-1A/B, Climate Data Systems |
| 23 | Zambia | $27.6 | 0.28% | Ground Station Projects, Digital Economy |
| 24 | Libya | $44.0 | 0.10% | Legacy Telecom Maintenance |
| 25 | Gabon | $20.1 | 0.48% | AGEOS (Earth Observation), Climate Monit. |
| 26 | Burkina Faso | $21.2 | 0.35% | BurkinaSat-1 (Academic focus) |
| 27 | Namibia | $12.4 | 0.25% | Telecom Infrastructure, HESS Observatory |
| 28 | Mali | $21.2 | 0.18% | Tactical Communication, Security Tech |
| 29 | Mozambique | $21.0 | 0.20% | Disaster Response Tech, Telecom Recovery |
| 30 | Benin | $19.7 | 0.45% | Smart Gouv Initiatives, Digital Backbone |
| 31 | Madagascar | $15.9 | 0.22% | Hydrometeorological Data Systems |
| 32 | Niger | $16.8 | 0.15% | Rural Telephony, Border Security Systems |
| 33 | Guinea | $22.8 | 0.12% | Mining Logistics Digitization |
| 34 | Congo, Rep. | $14.2 | 0.20% | Oil & Gas Tech, Fiber Optics |
| 35 | Malawi | $13.4 | 0.18% | Digital Malawi Project |
| 36 | Togo | $9.1 | 0.55% | Cyber Defense, Regional Data Hub |
| 37 | Mauritania | $10.6 | 0.15% | Fishing Vessel Tracking (VMS) |
| 38 | Somalia | $11.0 | 0.08% | Basic Spectrum Management |
| 39 | Eq. Guinea | $12.3 | 0.12% | Petroleum Industry IT Systems |
| 40 | Sierra Leone | $6.4 | 0.25% | Education Data Hub, Digital Gov |
| 41 | Eswatini | $4.9 | 0.15% | Government Cloud Infrastructure |
| 42 | Liberia | $4.4 | 0.10% | Coastal Connectivity Projects |
| 43 | Burundi | $4.2 | 0.08% | Fiber Connectivity (Phase 1) |
| 44 | CAR | $2.6 | 0.05% | Essential Radio/Telecom Recovery |
| 45 | Cabo Verde | $2.6 | 0.85% | Digital Island Hub, Submarine Cables |
| 46 | Gambia | $2.3 | 0.30% | E-Government Portal, Fiber Access |
| 47 | Seychelles | $2.2 | 0.70% | Submarine Cables, Blue Economy Data |
| 48 | Lesotho | $2.2 | 0.15% | Rural Broadband |
| 49 | Guinea-Bissau | $2.0 | 0.08% | Telecom Licensing Systems |
| 50 | Eritrea | $2.0 | 0.05% | State-controlled Broadcasting Tech |
| 51 | South Sudan | $5.2 | 0.05% | Humanitarian Tech Infrastructure |
| 52 | Comoros | $1.3 | 0.12% | Regional Telecom Integration |
| 53 | S. Tome & P. | $0.7 | 0.10% | Basic Digital Literacy Programs |
| 54 | Chad | $18.3 | 0.12% | Security Communications |