Niger will obtain three remote sensing satellites and a radar from Russian company Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of the State Corporation for Space Activities Roscosmos, as the African country's minister of communication, posts and digital economy signed a memorandum with representatives of the Russian company, local state media said.
"We have reached an agreement with the Russian company for the acquisition of these 3 satellites for a period of 4 years," Sidi Mohamed Raliou, a minister of communication, posts and digital economy, said during the signing ceremony, as quoted by the local media.
The minister added that the space equipment will ensure the security of three countries of the Alliance of Sahel States, which includes Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. He stressed that Russia will train specialists involved in satellite maintenance.
Raliu noted that after the completion of the project, the three countries will be able to independently manage their communication satellites themselves.
In May, Roscosmos head Yuri Borisov said during a meeting of the BRICS space agencies' heads that Russia and Ethiopia plan to develop a detailed strategy for joint space exploration efforts and will formalize their agreement by signing cooperation memoranda.
In November 2023, the Malian delegation led by Minister of Economy and Finance Alhousseini Sanou, and Glavkosmos, signed a memorandum of understanding establishing a framework for cooperation in the use of satellites in various fields.
This agreement allows Mali to utilize a Russian satellite to better cover its territory. The satellite will be used in several domains, particularly in the area of telephone communication and Internet technologies.