Côte d'Ivoire signed the Artemis Accords on Thursday, becoming the 75th signatory nation to the international agreement on peaceful space exploration. The signing ceremony took place in Abidjan during Africa Space Expo ASPEX 2026.
The nation's Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Adama Diawara, signed on behalf of the country, with Junaid Munir, the U.S. State Department's Chargé d'affaires, witnessing the ceremony. "This is a great achievement, and important for Côte d'Ivoire's ambitions and for the rest of the African Union members," said Tidiane Outtara, Director General of the Space Agency of Côte d'Ivoire.
The Artemis Accords, established in 2020 by NASA and the State Department with seven founding nations, represent the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing transparency, safety, and coordination among nations as they explore the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Signatories commit to exploring space peacefully and transparently, rendering aid in emergencies, enabling access to scientific data, ensuring activities do not interfere with those of other nations, and preserving historically significant sites and artifacts.
Côte d'Ivoire has been building its space capabilities through years of international collaboration. Since 2019, the National Office of Technical Development of Côte d'Ivoire and NASA have worked together on Earth observation and geodetic networks—which measure Earth's shape, gravity, and movement. The country established its Space Agency in 2025 to coordinate national efforts in satellite navigation, communications, astronomy, and space weather, in addition to Earth observation work.