11 October 2020
Providing financial support for African nations’ space programmes is helping China to advance its soft power on the continent, experts say. Temidayo Oniosun, a Nigerian space scientist and managing director of industry news website Space in Africa, said: “China often comes to the aid of countries and provides loans for them to acquire satellites ... China is helping African countries in the development of their space programmes by providing technological and financial support,” said Oniosun, who also monitors space and satellite industry investments on the continent. Many African nations already had good trade links with China he said, which helped in the development of space projects, he said.
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