The African Space Leadership Institute (ASLI) is Africa’s first space-focused think tank based between Pretoria, South Africa and Abuja, Nigeria. ASLI was inaugurated on 4 October 2022 — exactly 65 years after the launch of the world’s first artificial satellite (Sputnik 1) in 1957 — ushering in a new dispensation of space in Africa. It seeks to bridge gaps in regional space policy- and decision-making through innovative policy analysis, comprehensive educational programmes, and expert advisory.

In 2012, the African Union Commission (AUC) established the African Union Space Working Group (AUSWG) to among other tasks, develop a suite of governance instruments, towards the formalisation of the African Outer Space Programme. The first set of instruments developed by the AUSWG were the African Space Policy and the African Space Strategy. These documents were adopted by African Heads of States and Governments in 2016, and the African Space Agency (AfSA) was established in 2018, and its headquarters in Cairo, Egypt was inaugurated in 2025. However, the drafting process of the African Space Policy and Strategy also shone a spotlight on the dearth of regional expertise in contemporary space policy, strategy and law, despite Africa’s pioneering role in ancient astronomical advancements. 

ASLI was established to plug this gap and bring forth a new and rare policy dispensation for space strategizing in Africa. The think tank is committed to supporting the success of the African Outer Space Programme alongside national space programmes, by harnessing and harmonising multidisciplinary expertise and regional capabilities across engineering and non-engineering fields. ASLI’s wider conceptual underpinnings are elucidated in a Space Policy journal article here.

Vision and Values

ASLI’s vision is “an African space ecosystem that meets the developmental needs and aspirations of Africa, and that is globally competitive responsible.” This vision is in line with the vision of African Union’s Agenda 2063 – the framework document for Africa’s development. The vision seeks to propel an organic African-engineered space ecosystem that fulfils the developmental rights and aspirations of African citizens, while grounding the continent’s global responsibility towards space sustainability and security.

ASLI’s domains of interest lie within and at the intersections of outerspace, airspace, cyberspace and nuclearspace. Some concerns include but not limited to integration and governance of airspace and outerspace; cybersecurity of space systems; use of nuclear power sources in space; effect of rocket launch on the environment; effect of falling space debris on the environment.

Our work is guided by the following set of values, which we aim to continually embody as a reflection of our vision for Africa’s space culture and ecosystem. 

@ – Accountability and Transparency

A – Agility

S – Systems Thinking

L – Learning

I – Innovation

Mission and Objectives

ASLI’s mission is to develop capabilities and capacity in space policy, strategy, law, governance and leadership.

To achieve our mission and uphold our vision and values, ASLI’s three core objectives are:

• Expand and deepen space knowledge and expertise across Africa in support of more effective policy- and decision-making
• Foster strategic positioning of African space initiatives, shifting from siloed projects to more integrated long-term programming
• Strengthen Africa’s intellectual and diplomatic engagement in international space institutions and forums