Strategic partnership: South Africa, UAE advance satellite development initiative

DUBAI, 26th May, 2025 (WAM) — Mondli Gungubele, Deputy Minister of Communications and Digital Transformation of the Republic of South Africa, announced that South Africa is collaborating with the United Arab Emirates on a joint project to establish a dedicated South African satellite.

This initiative leverages the UAE’s significant advancements in satellite technology, Gungubele said. “The Vice President accompanied me to the SAMENA Leaders’ Summit 2025 to accelerate the pace of this partnership. We have also signed a memorandum of understanding and look forward to advancing it to more advanced implementation stages.”

He made the statement to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of the summit, which was held today in Dubai, attended by high-level officials and inaugurated by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, under the patronage of the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA).

He commended the UAE’s development experience, describing it as a global leading model in progress and prosperity: “Through my repeated visits, I see that the UAE rivals first-world countries in its advanced infrastructure and vital sectors such as transportation, communications, hospitality, and urban development. This achievement proves that progress is not tied to colour or background, but rather to will, commitment, and hard work.”