Press Releases

Washington D.C. –The Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the leading trade association for the global information technology industry, announced today that it has signed a new agreement to promote closer space relationships between the United States and African nations and an improved environment for trade and investment in space-related goods and services.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by CompTIA and Space in Africa, a leading media, analytics, and consulting company focusing on the African space and satellite industry.

“The United States and Africa have an emerging relationship in space cooperation,” ,” said David Logsdon, Senior Director, Public Sector, and Executive Director of the Space Enterprise Council (SEC). “As leading representatives of our respective space industries, both of which see great commercial gains to be made through a U.S.- African space partnership, it was incumbent on CompTIA and Space in Africa to join forces in an effort to encourage our respective governments to adopt measures that will create an environment where space-related commerce and investment can flourish.”

The agreement focuses on four primary areas:

1. Developing strategies for advocating stronger U.S.-African space partnerships.
   
2. Coordinating on advocacy strategy and activities to share information, pool ideas, ensure consistency of messaging, and non-duplication of efforts.
3. Producing joint letters with policy recommendations for governments in the U.S. and throughout Africa.
4. Organizing and hosting trade missions and other meetings so that companies and government officials from the U.S. and African nations can learn each other’s capabilities and positions while exploring business opportunities.

Future collaboration between the two groups may include joint policy papers, industry days, and facilitating space cooperation coordination between companies and government agencies from both nations, Logsdon said.

The SEC was founded in 2000 to represent businesses with a commercial interest in space. Throughout the years, the council has grown to represent all sectors of the industry including commercial, civil and national security space. As a forum for space-related companies, the council brings the collective power of its affiliation with CompTIA and its diverse members into a single, unified voice that is used in advocating member interests to policymakers.

For more information on participating in a CompTIA’s Space Enterprise Council, contact: David Logsdon at dlogsdon@comptia.org.

CompTIA Contact: 
Roger Hughlett
CompTIA
202.503.3644
rhughlett@comptia.org