Kwamena Essilfie Quaison
The Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation (MESTI) has assured the public of its commitment to strengthening the legal framework and enhancing institutional coordination for space development in the country.
The Director for Science, Technology and Innovation at the ministry, Kwamena Essilfie Quaison, made this known during a visit by the Space Law Technical Advisory Mission to Ghana.
He noted that the meeting would also provide an opportunity to discuss international best practices in space governance.
Mr. Quaison emphasised that the country’s dedication to space science and technology is not new, having leveraged space applications in communications, weather forecasting, environmental monitoring, and other areas for decades.
He also highlighted notable achievements by institutions such as the Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute, which has been instrumental in converting the Kuntunse Earth Station into the Ghana Radio Astronomy Observatory, and the successful launch of GhanaSat-1 through academic collaboration.
Mr. Essilfie Quaison further noted that the ministry had recently launched the Ghana Space Policy, which serves as a foundational framework to coordinate all space-related activities across ministries, agencies, academia, and other key sectors.
According to him, the policy focuses on research, commercialisation, and the peaceful exploration of space, and is expected to support the establishment of a National Space Agency as well as a Technology Development Fund.
He stressed that the meeting was a significant step toward implementing the country’s space policy with a robust legal foundation, while also leading and coordinating the ongoing development of Ghana’s space law in collaboration with all stakeholders.
“Let me emphasise that this process is not merely technical; it is transformational. We envision a Ghana where space technologies help fight illegal mining, improve agricultural planning, predict floods, monitor coastlines, and enable smart urban development,” he said.
“The benefits of space are not abstract. They are real, measurable, and urgent for our economic transformation,” he added.
By Ebenezer K. Amponsah