14 Nov AfSA and ESA Collaborates for Joint Space Systems Engineering Training

From 7 to 10 October 2025, Europe and Africa deepened their growing partnership in the space sector during the Space Systems Engineering Training Course, held at the ESA Education Training and Learning Facility at ESEC-Galaxia in Belgium. The programme brought together young engineers from both continents to strengthen technical competence and foster collaboration in space systems development.

The training was conducted within the framework of the Africa-EU Space Partnership Programme (AESPP), a flagship initiative of the Global Gateway, funded by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Partnerships (DG INTPA). Co-implemented by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the African Space Agency (AfSA), the AESPP aims to enhance cooperation across the entire space value chain, including satellite design and manufacturing, data utilisation, and institutional capacity development.

This year’s session convened 30 participants from 24 nationalities, including 13 from African countries. Their participation symbolised more than the exchange of technical expertise; it represented the consolidation of a strategic educational alliance between Europe and Africa, founded on shared ambitions for sustainable and inclusive space development.

“This training goes beyond engineering,” remarked Nigel Savage, ESA Academy Training Administrator. “It’s about creating the conditions for genuine partnership, where expertise, opportunities, and visions are shared across continents.”

“For AfSA, the collaboration represents a milestone in advancing African capacity building within the global space community,” according to Hamdi Kacem from AfSA. “Every investment in infrastructure or technology must be matched and surpassed by investment in people.”

Participants delved into essential topics such as requirements engineering, mission architecture, budgeting, and risk management. One of the course highlights was a dynamic simulation exercise where students faced real-world challenges in time and risk management — a fast-paced, interactive game designed to replicate the decision-making pressures of space project environments.

The experience encouraged teamwork, critical thinking, and creative problem-solving, mirroring the collaborative spirit of ESA missions. Thanks to the expert guidance of ESA professionals and the practical, experience-based format, students concluded the course with a solid foundation in space systems engineering, equipped with valuable tools to apply in their future academic and professional journeys. However, the broader story was one of space diplomacy through education. The exchange of ideas, perspectives, and approaches highlighted how technical training can serve as a foundation for strategic collaboration.

For a Liberian participant, the experience was highly educational: “Participating in the ESA Academy Space System Engineering Training Course provided practical knowledge in mission design, payload analysis, and system engineering. As Liberia’s representative, I enhanced technical, teamwork, and leadership skills through collaboration with international participants.”

ESA and AfSA plan to continue expanding their joint training initiatives in New Space engineering under the AESPP, paving the way for future cooperation in research, innovation, and technology transfer. Each course builds on the same vision: that the future of space exploration is inclusive, interconnected, and collaborative. With every new cohort of students trained under this partnership, the message becomes clearer: Europe and Africa are engineering a shared future among the stars.