By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
The government of Côte
d’Ivoire has appointed H.E. Dr Tidiane Ouattara as the inaugural Director
General of the Space Agency of Côte d’Ivoire (ASCI), placing an experienced
African space policy and Earth observation expert at the helm of the country’s
newly established national space institution.
Dr Ouattara becomes the
first person to lead ASCI, which was established by a decree of the Council of
Ministers on June 4, 2025, and operates under the supervision of the Ministry
of Higher Education and Scientific Research.
ASCI was created as a public
administrative institution with a scientific and technological mandate to
oversee the peaceful use and exploitation of outer space for the benefit of
Côte d’Ivoire. Its responsibilities include coordinating national space science
and technology initiatives, advancing space-based technologies for sustainable
development, promoting domestic expertise and supporting scientific research.
The agency’s programme areas
include Earth observation, space meteorology, astronomy, space exploration,
satellite navigation and satellite communications. It is expected to serve as
the central coordinating institution for Côte d’Ivoire’s national space
activities and its engagement with continental and international space
partners.
The establishment of ASCI
followed years of discussions on the need for a dedicated national space
institution. Côte d’Ivoire’s ambitions in the sector date back to at least
2015, when President Alassane Ouattara commissioned a feasibility study for a
national satellite programme. The 2025 decree subsequently formalised that
ambition through the establishment of the agency.
Dr Ouattara brings more than
three decades of experience in the space sector, beginning in academia before
moving into the Canadian government and later continental African space
governance.
He holds a Master’s degree
in Physical Geography from the Université de Cocody-Abidjan, now the Université
Félix-Houphouët-Boigny, as well as a Master’s degree and a PhD in Remote
Sensing and Geographic Information Systems from the Université de Sherbrooke in
Québec, Canada. He completed his Master’s degree in 1996 and doctorate in 2001.
Following his doctorate, Dr
Ouattara joined the University of Sherbrooke as a lecturer before moving into
space applications and management roles within the Canadian government, where
his work covered Earth observation, policy, strategy and international
relations.
In 2016, he joined the
African Union Commission as GMES and Africa Programme Coordinator, serving as
the Commission’s focal point for the joint African Union-European Union Earth
observation initiative and overseeing its implementation across several funding
cycles.
Under his tenure, GMES and
Africa secured EUR 54.65 million in European Union investment, comprising EUR
30 million for its first phase from January 2017 to December 2021 and EUR 24.65
million for the second phase from January 2022 to December 2025.
In January 2024, the African
Union appointed Dr Ouattara Head of the Science, Technology and Space Division
at the Department of Education, Science, Technology and Innovation. In that
role, he coordinated the development and implementation of the African Outer
Space Programme and the African Space Policy and Strategy.
He also played a central
role in the establishment of the African Space Agency, headquartered in Cairo,
Egypt, and served as the AU’s principal negotiator for the European Union’s EUR
100 million investment in African space programmes beginning in 2025.
In February 2024, the
African Union Executive Council appointed Dr Ouattara as the inaugural
President of the African Space Council, the governing body of the African Space
Agency. He was formally sworn into the position at the African Union Commission
headquarters in Addis Ababa in July 2024. His term runs for four years and is
renewable once.
Dr Ouattara has also served
on the Board of Digital Earth Africa, a continental initiative focused on open
satellite data infrastructure for sustainable development.
His appointment in Côte
d’Ivoire gives ASCI a leader with extensive experience spanning space
applications, Earth observation, continental space policy and international
cooperation as the country moves to operationalise its national space agenda.
Dr Ouattara has repeatedly
highlighted the economic potential of Africa’s space sector, describing the
continent as “the El Dorado for global space business.”
