The United States in 2020 launched a framework for the private exploitation of space, which consists of practical principles for space exploration, called Artemis Accords with a view of making space activity responsible, transparent, safe, peaceful and sustainable.
US, Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Ukraine, UK , United Arab Emirates, South Korea were among the early signatories in the accord.
Nigeria and Rwanda became the 22nd and 23rd countries respectively and the first African countries to signed the accords on 14 December 2022.
The NASA’s Artemis Program, aims to explore the Moon and send astronauts to Mars. It also include respect for the sovereignty of celestial bodies, interoperability of systems, transparency and predictability of space activities. for the advance of international cooperation and peace in space activities, for the benefit of humanity.
Nigeria and Rwanda’s commitment to the Artemis Accords is expected to impact positively on Africa as a whole and address the gap between Africa and other regions in terms of space exploration and use.
