• Intelsat and MaxIQ Space are expanding a STEM education programme to 12 schools across Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal.
• Schools selected for the program receive a raft of complimentary technology and materials to facilitate the training.
• Interested schools are asked to apply for space by the end of March.

The operator of satellite and terrestrial network connectivity, Intelsat, has announced the expansion of its Africa Space STEM program into four more countries on the continent.

The program will be expanded to reach 12 schools across Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa and Senegal. To assist in this drive, Intelsat will be working with educational resource provider MaxIQ Space. As its name suggests, MaxIQ Space aims to inspire youngsters to become space industry professionals through STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) education. The company has a focus on teaching learners how to use hardware and code.

Working together, Intelsat and MaxIQ Space will provide participants with in-person, in-community training from subject matter experts. The education will be based on the Space STEM curriculum (which you can read more about here) and will be incorporated with hands on training with STEM kits.

As part of the program, schools receive 10 MaxIQ Space STEM kits, two advanced sensor add-on kits, custom accessories and spare parts, and more. This also includes the resources educators need to provide the relevant training.

“As a pioneer in satellite technology, Intelsat remains committed to maximizing its contribution by inspiring the next generation and connecting African students to real-world applications of space technology,” says regional vice president for Intelsat in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region, Rhys Morgan.

The program being taught has been adapted for 2025 to focus in empowering schools and educators to build atop the training provided and give thousands of future students access to the skills they need to thrive in STEM careers.

The hope here is that with proper access to STEM training, Africans begin working toward getting an African nation into space. While African nations have space agencies, there aren’t any African astronauts nor an African nation with a space programme akin to those of NASA and the European Space Agency.

One can of course argue that Africa has more concerning problems to address but much can be learned from going to space and the process involved in getting there.

“With Africa emerging as a key frontier for space infrastructure, it is essential to equip future leaders with the knowledge and skills to drive this transformation. We are honored to play a role in preparing the young generation for this future,” said Judi Sandrock, program manager at MaxIQ Space.

Schools that would like to be involved in this STEM training programme can head here to submit an application. Again, this programme is only for schools in Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal and South Africa and only 12 schools will be selected.

Applications close on 31st March.