STM Article Repository

Africa has lost its glory as the pioneer of space research, evidenced by Alexandria's ancient library in
Egypt that housed the first space research center more than two thousand years ago. Cave
paintings in Olduvai Gorge in present-day Tanzania showed how the first humans communicated
millions of years ago. Early Africans used drum beats to alert of impending danger or festivities.
The discovery of papyrus used as writing paper and the invention of words that make the alphabet
all originated in Ancient Egypt. These examples show that Africa was a leader in science and
technology (Shibanda & Isabel, 2000; Ligate, 2015). However, in the 21st Century, Africa has
lagged technologically compared to all the other continents. Space research and deployment of
supporting technologies including Remote sensing and Geospatial Information Systems (GIS)
remain fundamental to bridge the technological gap between Africa and the rest of the world in line
with SDG 9 building resilient infrastructure, promoting sustainable industrialization and fostering
innovation hence solving some of Africa's challenges. This study analyses the challenges and
opportunities that African countries face in harnessing space technologies in natural disaster
management, disease prevention, land use, agricultural productivity improvements, and conflict
resolution—furthermore, a SWOT and TOWS analysis discussed possible action plans for GIS
Implementation in Africa.