Tehran, Iran – October 7, 2025: As BRICS member states welcomed Iran’s proposal for a joint satellite data exchange platform during a virtual meeting from September 30 to October 1, a new chapter in global geospatial intelligence sharing has begun—one that could reshape Africa’s relationship with digital surveillance and data sovereignty.
The Iranian-led initiative, which received support from China, Russia, and Brazil, extends beyond technical cooperation. For Africa’s BRICS members—South Africa and Ethiopia—this satellite data platform represents both unprecedented opportunity and complex challenges in an era where information infrastructure determines national security capabilities.
The Multipolar Technology Revolution
Iran’s proposal emerges within a broader geopolitical context where BRICS nations are developing alternatives to Western-dominated technological systems. The satellite data exchange platform, designed to facilitate everything from fire monitoring to crisis management and trade facilitation, positions BRICS nations as architects of an independent surveillance ecosystem.
The timing reflects significant geopolitical shifts. As documented by multiple research sources, China has been expanding space partnerships across Africa, with nearly two dozen agreements in recent years. Egypt’s satellite facility, which began operations in 2023, demonstrates this trend—while marketed as Africa’s first satellite manufacturing plant, it relies heavily on Chinese components, personnel, and launch capabilities.
South Africa’s positioning within BRICS satellite cooperation builds on existing frameworks. The BRICS space agencies signed a remote sensing data sharing agreement in August 2021, creating a “virtual constellation” using existing satellites from member countries. This includes Brazil’s CBERS-4, Russia’s Kanopus-V satellites, India’s Resourcesat series, and China’s Gaofen and Ziyuan satellites.
Ethiopia has been advancing its satellite capabilities through partnerships, including the installation of Global Navigation Satellite Systems and plans for additional Earth observation satellites with Chinese cooperation.
Africa’s Strategic Calculations in the Surveillance Age
The BRICS satellite initiative arrives as African nations increasingly recognize the implications of technological dependency. According to Roscosmos CEO Yury Borisov, BRICS countries collectively operate more than 1,200 satellites following the bloc’s expansion.
Recent developments demonstrate growing interest in alternative space partnerships. In September 2024, Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso—members of the Alliance of Sahel States—announced agreements with Russia’s Roscosmos for telecommunications and remote sensing satellites. This deal includes both surveillance capabilities for border monitoring and communications infrastructure for remote areas.
The Russian partnership with West African nations illustrates the security dimensions of satellite cooperation. According to officials, the satellites will enhance border surveillance capabilities against insurgent threats while providing television, radio, and internet services to underserved regions.
Iranian officials have framed their BRICS proposal within broader security cooperation frameworks. Ali Akbar Ahmadian, Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, has called for BRICS to establish security structures addressing “common threats, such as terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking, illegal biological activities, human trafficking and the abuse of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and satellite systems”.
However, the proposal raises questions about surveillance capabilities and data access. Research by organizations like Citizen Lab has documented Iran’s sophisticated domestic surveillance infrastructure, including the SHAHKAR system—a data warehouse storing information about all mobile subscribers in Iran. While marketed for legitimate security purposes, such technologies enable comprehensive population monitoring.
African civil society organizations have raised concerns about surveillance technology deployment across the continent, documenting how governments use security tools to monitor political opposition. The prospect of enhanced surveillance capabilities through BRICS cooperation adds complexity to these concerns.
The platform’s implications extend to economic sovereignty. African space industry reports indicate the continent’s space economy is valued at $22.64 billion and is experiencing rapid growth. For African countries seeking to leverage satellite technology for agricultural monitoring, environmental management, and natural resource oversight, BRICS cooperation offers alternatives to Western-controlled systems.
Egypt’s experience illustrates both opportunities and dependencies in satellite partnerships. While the country has launched multiple satellites through Chinese cooperation, including the assembly of MisrSat-2 at its Cairo facility, most construction occurred in China with Chinese oversight of data collection. This demonstrates how satellite partnerships can transfer some capabilities while maintaining external dependencies.
The African Union’s space policy, endorsed as part of Agenda 2063, emphasizes continental cooperation in satellite infrastructure to reduce dependence on external providers. However, implementing this vision requires balancing technological sovereignty aspirations with practical partnership necessities.
South Africa’s role as Africa’s representative in BRICS positions it as a potential bridge between the bloc’s technological offerings and continental needs. The country’s National Space Agency has expressed commitment to using BRICS satellite data for African benefit.
The Iranian proposal ultimately represents more than technical cooperation—it embodies a challenge to Western monopolies over global surveillance infrastructure. As digital sovereignty becomes increasingly central to national security and economic development, African nations must navigate complex choices about technological partnerships and their long-term implications.
The success of such initiatives will depend on whether they genuinely serve African sovereignty interests or simply create new forms of technological dependency with different partners. As the satellite data platform moves toward implementation, these questions will become increasingly critical for the continent’s digital future.
