The second session of the International Symposium on Space Sciences and the training workshop on designing a model satellite (Cansat), which is being held by the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ICESCO), in partnership with the Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation in the Republic of Burkina Faso, and hosted by the University of Norbert Zongo, kicked off in the capital, Ouagadougou, under the theme “Building the Global Workforce for the Future”, for the benefit of university students from various African countries, and in the presence of a high-caliber group of international officials and experts in the field of space science.

The opening session of the international symposium, which began its activities, on Tuesday, December 27, 2022, and will continue for three days, saw the participation of Dr. Issa Abdou Moumoula, President of Norbert Zongo University, where he gave an address in which he emphasized that the event is the result of a joint effort that represents the desire of the partners to develop space science and technology in Burkina Faso, valorizing ICESCO’s efforts to encourage its Member States to invest in modern sciences.

For his part, Dr. Frederic Ouattara, Former Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation of Burkina Faso, commended ICESCO’s efforts to develop space science, and its contribution to making his country one of the leading African countries in this field, while Dr. Muhammad Sharif, Advisor in ICESCO’s Science and Technology Sector, reviewed the Organization’s initiatives to support youth capabilities in the field of science and technology, pointing to the urgent need to understand and discover space science and employ its applications in order to contribute to the prosperity of societies.

In her recorded speech, Mrs. Shelli Brunswick, Chief Operating Officer at the American Space Foundation, reviewed the Foundation’s initiatives in the field of space sciences, expressing her gratitude for the great cooperation between the Foundation and ICESCO.

After that, the practical workshop started through forming groups to introduce students to “Cansat” and the applications used in designing this educational model satellite, and to learn about the importance of employing space science and its applications to build a workforce that contributes to building a better future for all humanity.