Addis Ababa, January 2, 2025 (FMC) – Minister of Innovation and Technology, Belete Molla underscored that Ethiopia’s ongoing endeavors in the spheres of space science and geospatial have been contributing to the growth of the national economy.
Senior leaders of the Ministry of Innovation and Technology and other relevant institutions visited the Space Science and Geospatial Institute (SSG) and the Entoto Observatory Center on Wednesday.
Currently, Ethiopia has been leading in space endeavors in the Horn of Africa by building an astronomical observatory and creating a fully-fledged national space agency.
Through its own space programs, the East African nation is employing the programs to accelerate development in various sectors such as in agriculture, industries, and health, it was indicated.
Following the visit, Minister Belete stressed the need for Ethiopia exploiting all its capabilities to develop and utilize technology, adding that that would create opportunities for the country to use and control resources not only on Earth but also in space in the future.
Noting that the sector has a broad scope that encompasses all activities from Earth to space, the Minister underlined that institutions should work through collaboration to maximize the benefits that Ethiopia is anticipated.
According to him, national endeavors in the space science and geospatial sectors are contributing significantly to the growth of the national economy.
Particularly, Minister Belete elaborated on the encouraging results that centers for crop monitoring, geodetic infrastructure services, urban development monitoring, water monitoring, rural information monitoring, disaster monitoring, and digital mapping services are bringing about.
These centers are providing support for the effectiveness of the nationwide development activities that have been carried out in various sectors, he pointed out.
Belete further emphasized the importance of establishing close ties with universities and secondary schools to stimulate Ethiopia’s youth and create an educated generation in space science and geospatial fields, per ENA.
On his part, Director General of the Space Science and Geospatial Institute, Abdisa Yilma said that we are successfully implementing our plans as a country.