Expanding Amateur Radio activities in Africa: PACS e-Lab’s Efforts to Bridge Space Education Gaps

The Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) event allows students and the public to connect directly with astronauts aboard the ISS via amateur radio, engaging in live Q&A sessions about space science, life in space, and current missions. This initiative aims to inspire interest in STEM fields through real-time interactions with space professionals.
This project has been around since 2001 and has been widely utilized by entities in developed countries for educational purposes. In Africa, only a handful of entities in Africa have participated especially in Morocco and South. It was recently discovered by the Pan-African Citizen Science e-Lab (PACS e-Lab) team.
PACS e-Lab is a nonprofit educational platform dedicated to promoting astronomy and space science in Africa through hands-on projects, advancing space exploration, and enhancing space education and outreach.
We applied for the ARISS event, and our application was accepted. We are now preparing to host it across the continent between January and June 2025. PACS e-Lab is also leading efforts to expand the program across Africa, providing guidance to educational and space institutions on the application process and ensuring the success of the event, at no cost.
At the 2025 HamSCI Workshop, we will discuss our preparations and how we are leading the ARISS campaign in Africa.