'TUNISIAN POLICY ON SPACE APPLICATIONS AS MODEL OF AFRICAIN DEVELOPMENT'

摘要

After fifty years of independence, Tunisia has achieved impressive results that made international institutions rank it the most emerging countries worth joining developed ones by 2016, on condition that it maintains and improves its growth rate its social policy and its strategy in scientific research and technological innovation. That is how Tunisia has been ranked as the first most competitive country in Africa and the 29th in the world among 128 countries analysed by the " Africa Competitiveness Report 2007", jointly elaborated by World Economic Forum, World Bank and African Development Bank. Tunisia has been interested in a pacific use of space since the launch of the first satellite in 1957. All the different initiatives have been part of the Tunisian policy and adapted to the space applications in question. This interest has been reflected in the creation of a "National Space Committee" (NSC) in 1954 and a National Center for Remote Sensing (NCRS) in 1988. Tunisia has been represented in the major international conferences mainly those organized by the UNO. Tunisian scientific associations have played a great part in the activities of the International Aeronautic Federation (IAF). The International Academy (IAA) and in those of the International Institute of Legal Studies (IISL). Tunisia has always attended all meetings about issues relating to the development of e-learning, Tele-medicines, Telecoms and other different space applications relevant to economic growth. The objectives of the (NSC) have influenced the Tunisian policy and though those objectives were set twenty five years ago, they are still valid today. These objectives concerns : protect Tunisia's economic, social , cultural and strategic interests in space matters, Promote technological and scientific capabilities in order to be able to train in specialized management and vitalize research activities, protect natural resources and environmental activities ,Strengthen the means of production in industry and agriculture ... The new development plan (2007-2011) and the vision it involves till 2016 suggests an increasing interest in the development of space applications in familiar and new fields. So this contribution aims to illustrate the Tunisian policy on space application as model of African development through: The Tunisian policy relevant to the pacific use of space.