Space Applications Training Officer, African Space Agency
Meshack Kinyua Ndiritu
Meshack Kinyua Ndiritu
"Meshack is an engineer in Space and Emerging Technologies with over 10 years’ experience including Policy and Strategy Programming. Meshack played pivotal role in defining the African Outer Space Programme, and eventually the establishment of the African Space Agency. He is passionate to see Emerging Nations play key roles in the NewSpace Economy. As Capacity Lead, Meshack has revitalized the use of space applications, leveraging satellite Earth observation data to provide actionable insights for better decision-making in areas such as natural resource management through GMES & Africa, a continental Earth observation initiative with a network of over 160 national and regional institutions. A key focus of his work has been integrating Earth Observation with emerging technologies e.g. machine learning, virtualization, cloud computing, etc. Under his leadership, GMES & Africa has trained over 10,000 individuals, sponsored more than 100 Master’s and PhD students in space-related fields, established a robust network of academia, developed a digital learning platform, among others. Meshack was pivotal to delivering key continental strategies, including the African Union Strategy on Artificial Intelligence, the African Space Policy and Strategy, the Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy for Africa, and the African Union Training Strategy on Earth Observation. He was the technical lead for African Union in the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group, advocating for open-source tools, software, and the creation of federated infrastructure to support open innovation."
