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The Ethiopian government is considering a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) to build its first communications satellite that is expected to cost more than USD 350 million.
Talking to The reporter On Wednesday, November 18, 2020, the director of the Ethiopian Institute of Space Science Technology, Abdissa Yilma, reiterated the government’s urgent demand to build and launch a communications satellite in the next three to four years.
The director noted that initial work and due diligence activities are in the process of being finalized.
However, the director highlighted that budget restrictions have pushed the government to seek alternative sources of financing, including PPPs and concessional loans.
“The development of communication satellites is a very crucial and important milestone to fill in the gaps,” said the director.
Sources indicated that Ethio-Telecom spends at least $ 12 million a year on leasing commercial satellite communications, and this sum does not include money spent by the Ethiopian media, military, business and other government departments.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government has planned to launch its second satellite in the last days of December 2020. This remote sensing satellite provides data on changes in climate and weather-related phenomena that would be used for the country’s key objectives in agriculture, forestry. as well as initiatives to protect natural resources.
Abdissa mentioned that the second satellite weighs 12 kilos and has a resolution of 5.4 meters, which makes it better compared to the first satellite.
The Nation launched its first remote sensing satellite (ETRSS1) into space in December 2019.
