While space technologies are still often perceived as the preserve of a scientific elite, the reality on the ground reveals a completely different dynamic. Meteorology, precision agriculture using drones, land management, and rural connectivity: satellite and digital applications are already driving the African economy.

To consolidate this momentum, the second edition of the African Space Solutions Market (MASS) will be held from July 7 to 9, 2026, at the Abidjan Port-Bouët Exhibition Center . Under the theme "Space at the service of development: accelerating Africa's socio-economic transformation," the event aims to make space a concrete lever for sovereignty and growth.

Fabrice Irié Bi, Commissioner General of MASS and Director of OTIF Africa Space, reviews the previous edition and unveils the ambitions for this 2026 edition.

MASS: A bridge between technology, needs, and funding

The goal of MASS is to demystify the space sector and bring it closer to African realities. The event is based on a three-pronged strategic approach:

1. Technology developers (spatial solutions, geospatial solutions, AI, data).
2. Institutional users (administrations and communities with specific needs).
3. Funders (financing actors capable of industrializing these solutions).

“Africa does not just need to talk about space; it must use it as a tool for sovereignty, productivity and competitiveness,” insists Fabrice Irié Bi.

A first attempt to be converted in 2025

The inaugural edition, which took place in May 2025 in Abidjan, validated the continent's growing interest in these technologies with key performance indicators:

Key indicators	MASS 2025
Visitors	+ 12,000
Exhibitors	60
Official delegations	25
Experts mobilized	+ 100

Beyond the figures, the 2025 assessment is structured around four successes:

1. Institutional: A direct dialogue initiated between startups, researchers and public decision-makers.
2. Economic: Concrete business opportunities and the start of multiple partnerships.
3. Educational: An awareness that spatial considerations apply to disaster management, urban planning, and local taxation.
4. Operational: The responsibility to sustainably structure the African market.

The major challenges of the 2026 edition

For this new phase, the organizers are aiming for a change of scale through five major challenges:

1. The business shift: Strengthening economic impact through better structured B2B meetings, signing of agreements and sector-specific workshops.
2. The mobilization: Attracting more decision-makers from the public and private sectors.
3. Funding: Structuring viable economic models (particularly through public-private partnerships) to deploy solutions on a large scale.
4. The practical application: Transforming discussions into pilot projects and integrating space into public policies.
5. Regional influence: To sustainably position Abidjan and Ivory Coast as the essential African hub for space applied to development.

The date is therefore set for July 2026. The general public, executives, start-ups and SMEs are invited to discover how space is redefining the socio-economic future of the continent today.