Kenya is among the countries that will benefit from the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) currently being spearheaded by South Africa.
The will see Kenya open doors for more training and research as the project will enhance technologies including global positioning system stations, automated climate change monitoring weather stations and seismic activity warning systems.
The project will involve the construction of the African Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) Network immediately needed for the implementation on the project.
Once completed, the African VLBI Network (AVN) will use radio telescopes at various locations in Africa, operating in unison to create high-resolution observations of astronomical objects or accurately measure the distance between each radio telescope in the network.
Other partners in the project include Botswana, Ghana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia.
“We are exhilarated that our continent will now receive astronomy research facilities to advance the emergence of the African knowledge economy,” said South Africa’s Minister of Science and Technology Naledi Pandor.
South Africa won a bid to host the International Astronomical Union Office of Astronomy for Development and it will be stationed at Cape Town.
There has been a huge progress in Africa including formation of the African Physical Society, the construction of a number of telescopes throughout Africa.
The African Union Heads of States have also endorsed the SKA bid.
“The growth of Africa as a global astronomy hub is a shared vision of African countries to use the increasingly available broadband infrastructure for research and economic benefits,” said Pandor.
Kenya currently continues to explore several minerals, with the latest addition being oil. The economic viability of the oil is still being established, and the SKA project will give way to more detailed research and training.
