Egypt wins bid to host African Space Agency

ADDIS ABABA - 8 February 2019: Spokesman for the Foreign Ministry Ahmed Hafez said that the Executive Council of the African Union accepted Egypt's bid to be the host country for the headquarters of the African Space Agency.

The African leaders, led by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, will approve the decision on the second day of the 32nd African Summit on Monday, February 11, the spokesman said.

This decision will crown sustained efforts exerted by the Foreign Ministry and technical bodies, particularly the Higher Education and Scientific Research Ministry, to prepare Egypt's file that reveals its full technical potentials, the spokesman added.

He further stressed that Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, in his word at the 34th Ordinary Session of the AU Executive Council, asserted Egypt's keenness on hosting the headquarters of the African Space Agency that will serve the whole African continent and help push forward development in line with the African Union Agenda 2063.

Earlier, Ethiopia, Egypt, Namibia and Nigeria put in bids to host the African Space Agency, but Namibia later on withdrew.