Mathew Olumide Adepoju

Matthew Adepoju is the Director General / Chief Executive of the National Space Research and Development Agency. He was previously the Director of Strategic Space Applications Department of the agency. Quotes My vision for NASRDA is to establish a thriving, sustainable space ecosystem in Nigeria driven by active private-sector participation. I will actively engage the private sector to drive Nigeria’s space industry, knowing that government efforts alone won’t unlock its full potential. We will commercialise the extensive research from NASRDA’s 25-year history as a key milestone. Transforming research into viable products and services is essential to demonstrating the value of our space programme to the general public and ensuring that our investments yield tangible benefits. I aim to facilitate their robust involvement by creating conducive policies, partnerships, and investment opportunities. This will help drive innovation, reduce dependency on government funding, and make a self-sustaining space industry in Nigeria. Establishing strategic public-private partnerships will be crucial in bridging the gap between research and market-ready solutions. These collaborations will help leverage private sector expertise and resources to bring cutting-edge space technologies to market. I plan to focus on capacity building within NASRDA and the wider Nigerian space sector to support these goals. We will actively drive knowledge transfer across the country and through international partnerships, equipping our workforce to lead in space innovation. I will ensure NASRDA’s efforts directly translate into real-world benefits for Nigerians, which will be the measure of my tenure. Whether through improved satellite communications, enhanced agricultural productivity via Earth observation, or other space-enabled services, my priority is to ensure that the space programme delivers clear and measurable benefits to all citizens. Nigeria’s space programme will focus on several critical priorities to achieve the goals outlined in its 25-year space roadmap, which we are reviewing to reflect the current landscape. Despite some missed timelines, including the astronaut programme, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite development, and the launch facility for a “made in Nigeria” satellite, we have achieved a lot within the roadmap and are progressing on the missed milestones. For instance, through a collaboration with the Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA), we are looking to place a Nigerian in orbit within the next year. Additionally, the SAR satellite, initially planned for launch in 2018, has received approval from the Nigerian president, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, and will be part of a new set of spacecraft, including three Earth observation satellites and the SAR satellite. NASRDA recently signed an MoU with the American Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA) to facilitate Nigeria’s first human spaceflight. This initiative is part of SERA’s collaboration with Blue Origin to develop a human spaceflight programme for six individuals from nations historically lacking space access. Five seats will be reserved for partner nations with few or no astronauts, while the sixth seat will open to candidates from any country. The selection of our astronaut will involve a public voting mechanism. The process will be open to every Nigerian, irrespective of age or profession. Thus, people can campaign and vote for their preferred candidates. We will conduct multiple rounds, and the top three vote-getters will make our final selections. We have submitted a memo for our rocketry and propulsion programmes to the President. We need top-level engagement with local state governments to secure land that gives us a comparative advantage to reach orbit. Our proximity to the equator is crucial, as launching from there provides the shortest path to space, potentially saving hundreds of millions of dollars per launch. Furthermore, we are already negotiating a partnership with a foreign company as we plan to do sea and land-based launches. We’re pushing hard for these programmes and hope that the President and the Governor of Lagos State will grant our request to operate a launch site near the Atlantic Ocean, which we’ve identified as the best location. Yes, the current CSTP site is temporary. We are now working to secure a permanent location. We’ve requested land from the Lagos State government for a permanent site to serve as a spaceport where we can conduct our rocketry launches. We have identified partners who are genuinely committed to this project. We’ve already held meetings with them, and soon, activities in this area will become more visible to the public. Our approach is to sign MoUs with partners whose capabilities we’ve assessed, whose suitability we’ve confirmed, and whose programmes align with ours. These MoUs serve as frameworks for engagement. For example, five African countries, including Nigeria, had signed an MoU for the African Infrastructure Development Satellite before my time. Earlier this year, at the 67th Session of the UN COPUOS (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space), I had a bilateral meeting with the CEO of the Egyptian Space Agency, Dr Sherif Sedky, who’s leading this collaboration. I informed him that I’d evaluate the situation upon returning to Nigeria. Since then, I’ve met with the Honourable Minister, and we’re planning to ensure Nigeria’s promised component for the satellite is available within the 2024 budget. External Links