en.Wedoany.com Reported - The Rwanda Space Agency (RSA) has officially joined the Augmented Navigation for Africa (ANGA) program, led by the Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA). The collaboration was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Kigali by RSA CEO Gaspard Twagirayezu and ASECNA Director General Prosper Zo'o Minto'o.
ANGA is Africa's self-developed Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS), designed to enhance the positioning accuracy and reliability of global navigation satellite systems such as GPS and Galileo. By correcting signal errors in real time, the system can improve positioning accuracy from several meters to approximately one meter—a level of precision critical for aviation operations and various other sectors. Enhanced navigation capabilities enable aircraft to perform precision approaches without the need for expensive Instrument Landing Systems at individual airports.
Under the memorandum, Rwanda will establish an ANGA Mission Control Center and oversee the deployment and promotion of ANGA services nationwide. The center will handle navigation data processing and correction signal generation, elevating Rwanda from a mere user of navigation services to a direct technical participant in the program.
Founded in 1959, ASECNA is an intergovernmental organization comprising 18 African nations and France. ANGA has been recognized by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and aims to support Africa's aviation modernization, as well as the African Union's space policy and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM). The program targets the provision of comprehensive dual-frequency multi-constellation SBAS services across Africa and the Indian Ocean region by 2030. Since 2020, the NIGCOMSAT-1R satellite has been broadcasting SBAS signals in the region, and a flight demonstration conducted in Nigeria in 2023 validated the technology's ability to support precision landings at airports lacking traditional landing infrastructure.
This agreement aligns with Rwanda's strategic development in the space sector. Since establishing its space agency in 2020, the country has heavily invested in space infrastructure. Its Mwulire Satellite Earth Station in Rwamagana received certification from the World Teleport Association in June 2026, becoming the first fully certified Tier 3 satellite earth station in sub-Saharan Africa. Additionally, the country's centralized Geo-Hub has been utilized for geospatial applications in agriculture, infrastructure development, and disaster response. Through this partnership, Rwanda expands its operations from Earth observation and satellite communications to advanced navigation services.
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