Dr Temidayo Oniosun, a space scientist, has called for the full commercialization of Nigeria’s space programme to enable the country to reap economic benefits from the global space industry.
Oniosun made this call on Thursday in Abuja during an interview with reporters. He noted that although Nigeria has recorded major achievements in policy, institutions, and infrastructure, it has struggled to capture significant economic value from the sector.
According to him, Africa’s space and satellite industry generates about $24 billion annually, with projections showing it could grow to over $38 billion by 2030.
“One of the fundamental problems we have is that we have struggled to gain economic benefits from the space industry,” he said.
“Currently, Africa’s space and satellite industry generates about $24 billion in revenue every year, which cuts across GNSS, satellite TV services, broadband services, earth observation, and satellite manufacturing,” he added.
He pointed out that foreign space companies are taking the bulk of the revenue generated within Africa’s space ecosystem, stressing that African countries need to capture more benefits on the continent.
Oniosun acknowledged that Nigeria is making remarkable strides in establishing the right institutions, policy frameworks, and other endeavors. He further noted that Nigeria ranks among the top three African countries with the highest budgets for space programmes.
“In 2025, Nigeria’s space budget accounted for about 14.4 per cent of the entire African space budget, placing the country among the top spenders alongside South Africa and Algeria,” he said.
Despite these achievements, Oniosun urged Nigeria to shift focus toward building a commercially driven space ecosystem.
“We need to fully commercialise our space programme because the global space industry is now commercialize. Governments are no longer the ones running space programmes directly, as the private sector is taking the lead,” he said.
He urged policymakers to develop a realistic vision that reflects the current global space landscape.
