By Adenike Lawal
President Bola Tinubu has approved an initial N20 billion funding for the National Space Research and Development Agency to launch its long-overdue space regulation and licensing initiative.
Dr. Matthew Adepoju, the Director-General of the agency, revealed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
He noted that despite being mandated by the NASRDA Act of 2010, the agency’s regulatory functions have remained largely dormant.
“When I raised that memo stating that our space can no longer be unregulated, Mr. President graciously approved the take-off fund a few months ago,” Adepoju said.
He explained that Nigeria’s space sector operates in three segments: deep space, satellites, and ground stations.
Each requires oversight to ensure compliance and security, preventing potential misuse by unauthorized entities.
Although the approved funds have yet to be disbursed due to bureaucratic constraints, NASRDA is already working on frameworks to enforce regulation.
The licensing platform is now open to both public and private sector players in space-related industries.
Adepoju stressed that without regulation, sensitive geographical intelligence could be exploited by non-state actors.
The initiative is expected to strengthen national security, drive economic diversification, and boost revenue from critical sectors such as oil and gas, shipping, and telecommunications.
