It is with great pleasure that I join you today, for the U.S.-Africa Space Forum.
I would like to begin by congratulating NASA for the successful Artemis One mission, under the tremendous leadership of Administrator Bill Nelson.
Orion’s return to Earth means that we are a step closer to sending astronauts back to the Moon, a half-century after Apollo-17.
This marks a historic moment in global space cooperation and exploration.
Rwanda could not be more pleased, to become part of this journey, by joining the Artemis Accords.
Space-based technology is becoming an increasingly powerful tool for addressing global challenges, such as agricultural productivity and climate change.
This is why the Rwanda Space Agency was established two years ago, with plans to establish a Space Centre of Excellence for research and development.
Rwanda is happy to be working with industry partners from the United States, such as E-Space, Globalstar, and ATLAS Space Operations.
E-Space has opened an office in Kigali, Rwanda, and will be offering their innovative, satellite-based internet-of-things technology in Rwanda.
We are happy to be hosting a Globalstar satellite ground station, and ATLAS’s antenna in Rwanda will contribute to lunar mission control.
As we shoot for the stars, literally and figuratively, let us ensure that the exploration of outer space benefits all of humankind, for generations to come.
Once again, Senator Nelson, I thank you for the invitation to join this event today, as well as for your long friendship with Rwanda and Africa.
I thank you for your kind attention.