The Geoinformation Society of Nigeria (GEOSON) has called for the harmonisation of space-related activities among agencies of government for an effective regulation.
President of GEOSON, Dr Fikta Steve, who said this on Monday, April 21, 2025, in Abuja, spoke against the backdrop of recently inaugurated space licensing and regulation policy.
Space licensing and regulation is encapsulated in the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA) Act of 2010, aimed at generating revenue and checking activities in the ecosystem.
NASRDA, on April 8, unveiled that aspect of the Act which would require it to regulate the activities of space-based institutions, both private and public.
Steve commended the regulation’s move, describing it as a bold step by NASRDA to check activities in the ecosystem for proper revenue generation.
However, he explained that there were some government agencies, like the Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, National Population Commission, among others, who heavily utilise space for their mandates.
According to him, the idea of regulating them may cause some resistance and misinterpretation of the situation if they were not fully carried along in the policy implementation.
“There is need to explain this regulation to stakeholders because different agencies provide different geospatial information using space, like Office of the Surveyor General of the Federation, National Population Commission.
“NASRDA has started something according to its mandate but how far can it go; how is NASRDA going to regulate some of these agencies, is it by standards or means of acquiring data?
“There needs to be harmonisation of the different space-related functions among agencies of government and how the regulation affects their roles,’’ Steve said.
The president acknowledged that space activities needed to be regulated, adding that some private institutions who relied on space for their functions, were short-changing the government.
“We have lost so much as a result of not regulating the space, we have lost resources, investments; economic value generally.
“People have just been doing things anyhow, no standards, no proper payment to the government to generate revenue from space application,’’ he said.
He further said that aside from saving money for government, space regulation would impact on geoinformation systems.
He said it would achieve that by enhancing accuracy of location information, increased production and better application of geospatial technology.
Steve implored experts in the geoinformation ecosystem to be agents of awareness, adding that the general public needed to understand the benefits of space regulation.
Geoinformation refers to data and knowledge related to the Earth’s surface and its attributes. It encompasses maps and geographic data, among others.
By Ijeoma Olorunfemi