How China is building the hi-tech backbone of Africa’s space ambitions

South China Morning Post · Feb 23, 2026 · Collected from RSS

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From a satellite ground station in Namibia to an Egyptian laboratory in orbit, China has been building the hi-tech backbone of Africa’s space ambitions.Earlier this month, Beijing handed over a new satellite data ground station near Windhoek, Namibia – the latest in a growing network of space facilities across the continent built by China or with Chinese funding.The China-funded ground station at Windhoek’s Telecom Earth Station enables Namibia to process remote-sensing data from satellites, including the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS-4).During the February 12 handover, China’s ambassador to Namibia, Zhao Weiping, described the station as Beijing’s first “high-technology development assistance project” in the African nation.He added that it “vividly demonstrates China’s strong commitment to supporting African countries in advancing science and technology development”.He said the station would be fully owned and operated by Namibia, and Chinese experts had already trained local technicians.