The partnership was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Kigali by RSA Chief Executive Officer Gaspard Twagirayezu and Prosper Zo’o Minto’o, Director General of the Agency for Air Navigation Safety in Africa and Madagascar (ASECNA).

As part of the agreement, Rwanda will host an ANGA Mission Control Centre and support the deployment and use of ANGA services nationwide. The move elevates Rwanda beyond the role of a user of navigation services, integrating the country directly into the programme’s technical and operational framework as ANGA advances toward continent-wide implementation.

ANGA is Africa’s satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS), designed to improve the accuracy and reliability of positioning signals from global navigation satellite systems such as GPS and Galileo. By correcting signal errors in real time, the system can improve positioning accuracy from several metres to around one metre, a level of precision critical for aviation operations and a range of other sectors.

The enhanced navigation capability enables precision aircraft approaches and landings without the need for costly Instrument Landing Systems at individual airports. Beyond aviation, the technology has applications in precision agriculture, maritime operations, road and rail transportation, mapping, disaster management and other sectors where accurate positioning is essential for safety and efficiency.

Led by ASECNA, an intergovernmental organisation established in 1959 and comprising 18 African countries and France, ANGA is recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) as a key component of efforts to modernise African aviation. The initiative also supports the African Union Space Policy and the Single African Air Transport Market (SAATM), with the goal of delivering full Dual-Frequency Multi-Constellation satellite-based augmentation services across the Africa and Indian Ocean region by 2030.

The programme has already recorded significant milestones. Since 2020, NIGCOMSAT-1R has been broadcasting SBAS signals across the region, while flight demonstrations conducted in Nigeria in 2023 successfully validated the technology’s ability to support precision landings at airports without conventional landing infrastructure.

Rwanda’s contribution to the programme will include the operation of a Mission Control Centre, a key component responsible for processing navigation data and generating correction signals transmitted to users. Hosting such a facility places Rwanda at the core of ANGA’s technical architecture and highlights its growing influence in Africa’s space sector.

The agreement also aligns with Rwanda’s broader ambitions in space technology. Since establishing the Rwanda Space Agency in 2020, the country has invested heavily in space-related infrastructure, including its teleport facility in Rwamagana, Mwulire, which became the first fully certified Tier 3 teleport in Sub-Saharan Africa after receiving certification from the World Teleport Association in June 2026. Rwanda has also developed a centralised Geo-Hub to support geospatial applications across agriculture, infrastructure development and disaster response.

By joining ANGA and hosting a Mission Control Centre, Rwanda is expanding its focus beyond Earth observation and satellite communications into advanced navigation services, further strengthening its position as an emerging player in Africa’s space and technology landscape.