Abimbola Alale, pioneer of the Nigerian space sector
Audio 04:24
Abimbola Alale, Managing Director of NIGCOMSAT Ltd, the public operator responsible for managing telecommunications satellites in Nigeria.
© nigcomsat.gov.ng
By: Olivier Rogez Follow
4 min
Abimbola Alale is the only woman in the world to head a satellite operator and she is a pioneer in the Nigerian space industry.
Portrait.
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On November 2 in the prestigious salons of the Aéroclub de France in Paris, Abimbola Alale received from the hands of Sekou Ouedraogo, the African Innovation Prize, awarded every two years by AASO, African aeronautics and space organization.
For Sekou Ouedrago, space engineer and founder of Aaso, the choice to reward the Nigerian, the only woman in the world to lead a satellite operator, went without saying.
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First of all, it's a woman, which is very rare in aeronautics and even more so in space.
She is CEO of a major satellite operator, and in addition she comes from the rising power, the richest country in Africa, Nigeria.
There are three characteristics that make him an atypical personality.
And in addition, through her career, she can be considered as an example for all Africans in the world
.
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Abimbola Alale has always been fascinated by space.
A childhood passion that has always been encouraged by her parents, she says.
“It's more or less a dream. Since I was little, I have always been interested in what was said about space and travel to the moon. It piqued my interest. I was interested in those who had set foot on the moon, I wanted to go there myself, to become an astronaut. Yes, it was truly a childhood dream for me. "
But the path to the stars sometimes takes roundabout routes.
Abimbola Alalé first thought of a medical career, already linked to the space sector.
“I started in the medical field as a physiotherapist. Then I wanted to work in the field of space medicine. My idea was to heal astronauts, because I love astronauts, I love what they do, and I wanted to be one of those who take care of them. "
Very quickly, the young physiotherapist reoriented her university course and increased her training in the space field.
In particular, she obtained an MBA in France, at the International Space University of Strasbourg, but also a certification from the prestigious American MIT.
Scientist.
She is also an accomplished manager.
“I know that at the level of studies, at the academic level, she has a very good level. In pure science in particular. I think she has human capacities that make her appreciated. And I think the fact that she's a woman can give her an edge in all things "situational intelligence", "decision making", and most of all the ability to bring people together and make them work. "
These qualities allow it to establish itself within the two satellite programs launched by the Nigerian Space Agency.
She participated in the development of Nigcomsat1 and its little brother Nigcomsat 1R manufactured in China and launched by a long-range rocket in 2007 and 2011. Then, she took the head of the public operator responsible for managing telecommunications satellites.
Appointed by President Good Luck Jonathan, she was confirmed to this post in 2019 by Muhammadu Buhari.
To date, Abimbola Alale is the only woman in the world to head a satellite operator.
For Abimbola Alale space and telecommunications satellites are certainly passions, but useful passions.
Especially for the development of his country.
“Satellites play a role in almost every aspect of our lives…. Connectivity has become the key to our business. And only satellites can connect people who live in remote and isolated areas. They give us the opportunity to unite people in a global world. Satellite communications should be seen as a unifying factor that connects those who live in rural areas, for example, to us. And ensure that they participate in our globalized world. "
Ibadan's little girl who dreamed of conquering space in the company of her geographer father, looking at the moon from the garden of her house, has become a pioneer of the Nigerian space program.
His dreams are now ambitions.
And the next step would be for her to see a Nigerian astronaut fly into space.
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