The Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency, Prof. Matthew Olumide Adepoju, has received a Certificate of Honor from the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites, Chinese Academy of Sciences, following his presentation at a major international space forum in Shanghai, China.
Adepoju was honoured on Sunday after delivering a keynote address at the 3rd Aerospace and Marine Advanced Science and Technology Forum, held as part of the 19th Pujiang Innovation Forum.
The NASRDA boss spoke on “An Overview of Nigeria’s Space Programme: China–Nigeria Cooperation in Space Science and Technology,” highlighting Nigeria’s progress and its expanding partnership with China in space science and technology.
During his presentation, Adepoju highlighted Nigeria’s involvement in the China-Africa Cooperation Center on Satellite Remote Sensing Application, the Very Long Baseline Interferometry project, Crop-Watch initiative and the LASAC data portal.
He also outlined the growing exchange of expertise and capacity-building programmes between Nigeria and China, noting the country’s development from primarily receiving satellite technology to building local capacity to develop and utilise space technologies.
The recognition came as Adepoju represented Nigeria at the international gathering, where he joined senior officials from other countries for discussions on the future of global space cooperation.
He was later part of a high-level panel featuring the Chief Executive Officer of the South African National Space Agency, the President of the Maldives Space Research Organisation, the Principal Space Projects Manager of the UAE Space Agency and the Vice President of the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites, China.
The panel, titled “The Shared Ground: Competition, Cooperation, and the Future of Space,” focused on the balance between competition and collaboration in shaping the next phase of space exploration and technology.
