Dakar is preparing to become, for one week, the African space capital under the high patronage of His Excellency Mr. Bassirou Diomaye Diakhar Faye, President of the Republic of Senegal. The Senegalese Agency for Space Studies (ASES) is organizing the second edition of "Senegal Space Week," which will be held from May 19 to 22, 2026, at the King Fahd Palace in Dakar. Following the success of the first edition in 2025, this year marks a further step in the country's space ambitions, with the central theme focusing on geointelligence, security, and defense in the service of territorial security.

This theme underscores Senegal's ambition to position itself as a leading hub for space applications in Africa. In a regional context marked by complex challenges such as terrorism, transnational crime, maritime piracy, and climate vulnerability, space technologies are now presented as essential tools for anticipation and strategic decision-making. The program will feature high-level presentations, beginning on May 19 with an official launch marked by the signing of strategic memoranda of understanding.

The second day will focus on international cooperation with a session led by Airbus Defence and Space on ground surveillance solutions. May 21 will be dedicated to the presentation of crisis management tools via the Space Climate Observatory in collaboration with CNES. Finally, May 22 will be dedicated to innovation with a masterclass by Allan Petre, an aerospace engineer at NASA, followed by presentations from African startups specializing in cybersecurity and geospatial analysis.

The event will bring together a panel of international experts to share perspectives on space data governance, including Merry Walker, former White House advisor and CEO of Symphony Space, as well as the Honorable Gaspard Twagirayezu, CEO of the Rwanda Space Agency, and Dr. Zolana Rui João, Director General of the Angolan Space Program. Through this forum, ASES aims to mobilize the entire national ecosystem to address vital issues such as maritime surveillance, combating illegal fishing, securing land borders, and national space data sovereignty.