Africa, Clooney and an unlikely space race

MightyMait writes: Did you realize that African nations have space programs and that there is a (non-fictional) George Clooney connection? This BBC article details the history of space exploration in Africa as well as current efforts. Of course, it's natural to wonder:

To Western eyes, it may seem rather innappropriate to launch space programmes in sub-Saharan Africa, where nearly 70% of the population still lives on less $2 a day. Yet Joseph Akinyede, director of the African Regional Centre for Space Science and Technology Education in Nigeria, an education centre affiliated with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, says that the application of space science technology and research to “basic necessities” of life – health, education, energy, food security, environmental management – is critical for the development of the continent.