Côte d’Ivoire has signed the Artemis Accords, making it the ninth African nation and the 75th country overall to join the US-led framework for civil space exploration.
Adama Diawara, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, signed on behalf of Côte d’Ivoire on 24 September 2026 in Abidjan, during the Africa Space Expo (ASPEX 2026). Junaid Munir, Chargé d’affaires at the US Embassy, witnessed the signing on behalf of the US Department of State.
Côte d’Ivoire set up its national Space Agency in 2025. Its work with NASA goes back further: since 2019, the two have cooperated on Earth observation and geodetic measurement.
Signing the Accords turns that technical relationship into a formal commitment to the principles behind the Artemis programme: peaceful exploration, transparency, emergency assistance, open sharing of scientific data, avoiding harmful interference, and preserving historic sites in space.
