Nigeria and Rwanda have become the first African nations to sign the Artemis Accords while participating at the US-Africa Space Forum which was part of the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in Washington DC on Tuesday.
According to the statement released from the office of State Department Spokesman, during the US-Africa Space Forum discussion was made on how to further shared goals through the peaceful exploration and use of outer space.
The statement further said that the Accords were signed by Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Ali Ibrahim on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and by Rwanda Space Agency CEO, Francis Ngabo on behalf of the Republic of Rwanda.
It was noted that the Artemis Accords represent a bold, multilateral vision for the future of space exploration which was launched by the State Department and NASA together with eight nations in 2020.
“The Artemis Accords advance bilateral and multilateral space cooperation between signatories, expanding our knowledge of the universe and benefiting the whole world.
“Signatories commit to principles to guide their civil space activities, including the public release of scientific data, responsible debris mitigation, registration of space objects, and the establishment and implementation of interoperability standards”.
It further said that the Accords now boast 23 signatories, spanning every corner of the globe and representing a diverse set of space interests and capabilities.
“Through signing the Artemis Accords, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, Poland, Romania, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Ukraine.
“The United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States have demonstrated their commitment to the peaceful, responsible, and sustainable use of outer space and are leading the global conversation on the future of space exploration”.
President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Assistant Secretary for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina, and U.S. National Space Council Executive Secretary Chirag Parikh gave remarks at the event.