The NIGCOMSAT-1 satellite was launched from China in 2007 amid hopes it would help to connect rural communities and advance telemedicine and long-distance learning. It was supposed to work for 15 years and is officially monitored by a ground control station in Abuja, Nigeria, with support stations in China, Italy and South Africa. However, the satellite suffered an energy failure 18 months after its launch due to malfunctioning solar panels.
Akin Soyinka, chair of Nigeria Internet Watch, told SciDev.Net that over the last four years the federal government had invested a lot of resources in the satellite, at the expense of health and education, hoping it would accelerate the country's development.
Source: Panos London
