African scientists probe peaceful use of space in Sharm

The sixth African Leadership Conference on Space Science and Technology (ALC) dedicated two sessions to discuss the future of space science in Africa and the peaceful use of space in achieving sustainable development.

The event, held on December 1-3 in Sharm El Sheikh, will tackle on the last day the role of African space agencies in development, mainly those in South Africa, Nigeria, Gabon and Algeria, Chairman of the Egyptian National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences (NARSS) and conference chairman Medhat Mokhtar.

At the conclusion of the event, the conference will issue a set of important recommendations urging African leaders to support space sciences to achieve development through the available resources, Mokhtar told MENA.

The ALC conference takes place every two years in a different location in Africa. To date, the conference had been taken place in West Africa (Nigeria, 2005), Southern Africa (South Africa, 2007), North Africa (Algeria, 2009), East Africa (Kenya, 2011), West Africa (Ghana, 2013).

The ALC is a regional conference to promote intra-African cooperation in the uses of space science and technology to support Africa's development.