Teaching to fish

stopped operating because the solar array drive assembly failed.

After the failure, CGWIC undertook emergency measures and investigated the cause of the failure. The investigation was transparent and the Nigerian side was regularly updated on the progress, according to CGWIC.

In 2011, CGWIC launched a new replacement communication satellite NIGCOMSAT-1R at the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan Province for Nigeria.

“We did not charge Nigeria for the replacement satellite, which is designed to remain operational for 15 years,” said an official from CGWIC.

Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd. Managing Director Timasaniyu Ahmed Rufai called the Chinese response to the satellite failure “commendable.”

Now, the satellite is monitored and tracked by a ground station in Abuja, capital of Nigeria, by Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd., and a ground station in Kashgar, in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, by CGWIC.

The satellite’s ground facility in Abuja “had the potential of making Nigeria a major communications hub in the West and Central African region” and prompted Nigeria and neighboring countries to “expand their switching facilities to be able to handle international communication,” according to Abdulraheem Isah Adajah, a Nigerian communication official.

Nigeria is not the only country cooperating with China in building its space capability. In December 2017, China launched Algeria’s first communication satellite ALCOMSAT-1, which was designed and manufactured by China Academy of Space Technology under China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp.

According to Li Guoping, Spokesman of China National Space Administration, as an important cooperative field, China will continue to strengthen cooperation with African countries in peaceful exploration and utilization of outer space.

Benefits to local people

Besides Nigeria, NIGCOMSAT-1R is currently providing broadband services to Gabon, as well as broadcasting services to Botswana and Côte d’ivoire, according to Abimbola Alale, Chief Executive of Nigerian Communications Satellite Ltd.

“We have plans to reach out to more African countries. The main objective is to improve communications in Nigeria and its environs and then the rest of the African continent. But Nigeria is the main focus and we want to provide communications across the length and breadth of Nigeria,” Alale told Chinafrica.

According to Rufai, NIGCOMSAT-1R helps Nigeria break free from its over-reliance on the oil trade and transform itself into a knowledge-based economy.

Rufai said the satellite also brought benefits to local people. With a designed lifespan of 15 years, NIGCOMSAT-1R has been used for a wide variety of public services such as television broadcasting, emergency communications, remote education and satellite-based signal augmentation, as well as providing people in remote rural villages with Internet access, and saving people phone call charges.

It is also expected to play key roles in e-commerce, improving government efficiency and promoting the development of the digital economy in Nigeria and throughout the entire African continent.

According to Alale, CGWIC not only helped launch the satellite, but also offers technological support and training for Nigerian technicians on the management and operation of the satellite.

“CGWIC has trained over 50 Nigerian engineers, so that we could be able to manage our own satellite,” she told Chinafrica.

China is not only cooperating with African countries in satellites management, but also making efforts to strengthen their capability in space science and technology development.

In May 2018, China National Space Administration and National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences of Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to establish the Egyptian Space City in Cairo, formally initiating the cooperation on the Egyptian Space City Project. According to the MOU, China and Egypt would cooperate on the overall planning, system design, project construction and operational management of the Egyptian Space City.

After the completion of the project, Egypt will greatly improve its ability to independently develop satellites. By then, the country would have an internationally advanced aerospace infrastructure. In addition, during the process, China will also help cultivate scientific and technical personnel for Egypt, so that after the completion of the project, the Egyptian side can operate related facilities independently.

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