Dr Zanetor pushes stronger Ghana-ESO collaboration in space science

Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, has highlighted opportunities for Ghana to deepen its involvement in astronomy, astrophysics and space science following a visit to the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Germany.

The visit provided insights into how advanced science, engineering and technology are being combined to support major discoveries in astronomy.

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In a Facebook post on Tuesday, October 6, 2026, Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said she joined ministers and science leaders from several countries for the visit to the ESO headquarters in Garching, Germany.

She said the delegation toured ESO’s technical facilities and learnt about the Extremely Large Telescope being built in Chile, as well as activities at the Paranal Observatory.

According to her, the visit demonstrated the wide range of skills required to operate and develop modern astronomical facilities.

“Modern astronomy brings together engineering, computing, data science and innovation to support scientific discovery,” she said.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said Ghana could benefit from stronger cooperation in astronomy and astrophysics, scientific research, engineering and data science.

She said such partnerships could also help Ghana develop the skills needed to strengthen its space science and technology sector.

“For Ghana, there are important opportunities for collaboration in astronomy, astrophysics, scientific research, engineering and data science,” she said.

She further stressed the importance of giving young Ghanaian scientists and engineers greater access to international expertise and advanced scientific facilities.

According to her, training programmes, exchanges and international exposure could help build the human capacity needed to support Ghana’s ambitions in space science and technology.

“Training, exchanges and greater exposure to world-class scientific facilities and expertise will be important as we strengthen Ghana’s space science and technology capabilities,” she said.

She said Ghana should explore opportunities to connect its scientists and engineers with institutions such as ESO as the country works to build stronger capabilities in science, technology and space research.

The delegation included Germany’s Federal Minister of Research, Technology and Space, Dorothee Bär; Austria’s Federal Minister for Women, Science and Research, Eva-Maria Holzleitner; Hungary’s Minister for Science and Technology, Zoltán Tanács; and Kenya’s Principal Secretary for Science, Research and Innovation, Shaukat Abdulrazak.

Dr Agyeman-Rawlings said the experience had given her a better understanding of the science and technology behind some of the world’s most advanced astronomical infrastructure.

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