International Legal and Institutional Framework For Space Law and Policy in Africa

This chapter traces the international legal and institutional regime for outer space from its Cold War origins to today’s multi-actor environment. It begins with the foundational United Nations treaties and principles and their core rules on freedom of use, non-appropriation, responsibility, registration, and liability. It then follows the normative shift to non-binding instruments and technical guidance that culminated in the 2019 Long-Term Sustainability Guidelines. It then sets out the institutions that govern global space relations, namely the COPUOS and UNOOSA on norm development and the ITU spectrum and orbit regime. The chapter explains how consensus practice and state-to-state procedures shape enforcement. The analysis then reflects on the 21st-century emergent challenges such as mega-constellations, debris and the challenge of causation, registration strain, militarisation, and Africa’s limited participation in key conventions. It contrasts the UN pathway with plurilateral practice such as the Artemis Accords and examines implications for African states and evaluates the trade law and economic regulation issues as an emergent challenge in civil space.