Book Café: A discussion with Dr. William Kiema (Author, Space Law and Policy in Africa: Outer Space Pan-Africanism)
About the book
"Space Law and Policy in Africa: Outer Space Pan-Africanism" explores a normative and regulatory pathway for Africa’s venture into outer space. It situates African space law and policy within the continent’s regionalist vision and mission under Agenda 2063 while also engaging in a comparative analysis with global models to suggest new legal standards, investment approaches, and institutional measures that can be adopted incrementally by the Member States.
The book proposes the idea of ‘Outer Space Pan-Africanism’ as an essential lens for interpreting and shaping the political economy of outer space law and policy in Africa. Through case studies of South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Algeria, Angola and Egypt, the book discusses how divergent legal and policy models interact with regional development objectives. At the same time, it also examines the significance of benchmarks drawn from the European Union (EU), Latin America and the Caribbean, the Arab World, and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in illuminating transferable lessons in funding mechanisms, governance, technology transfer and phased integration.
About Dr. William Kiema
Dr. William Kiema is a leading scholar and practitioner in Air and Space Law in Africa. His scholarship explores the legal frameworks shaping Africa's participation in the global air and outer space governance. His scholarly works and practice focus on the intersection of law, policy, politics, and Africa’s aerospace ambitions within the African Union's Agenda 2063. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Nairobi, a Master of Laws (LLM) in International Trade Law from the University of Cape Town, and a Doctorate in Air and Space Law from the University of Cape Town, South Africa. William has published two books in Air and Space Law, namely "The Air Transport Industry in Africa: A Legal Analysis of the Single African Air Transport Market" and "The Space Law and Policy in Africa: Outer Space Pan-Africanism," both published by the London based Taylor & Francis Group.