A total of 355 ground stations and 11 African launch facilities (three are currently operational, three are proposed, and five are inactive): this data comes from the 2023 African Space Industry Annual Report by Space in Africa, an independent analytics company.

With an emerging "space economy" on the continent, African teenagers have captured their hopes and expectations for the future of space travel.

The "My Dream" Painting Competition for African Teenagers award ceremony will be held in Beijing on September 13. Over 2,000 entries from 42 African countries were entered into the competition. Since September 7, CGTN has been introducing a selection of art by these young artists. Today, we focus on those portraying the dreams of African young people on the theme of flying to space.

Here are five of the paintings:

1. "The Nostalgia of Flying in Space" by Tokouete Sègla Simon from Benin has won the Wentian Award (second prize). A young boy wearing a white astronaut helmet, with both hands gripping a dark pink sheet behind him, runs in front of a red brick house, as if he is flying. We feel the nostalgia and the character's passion for space exploration. Benin does not have a space agency, but dreams have no limits.

2. "My Flag on the Moon" by Bassam Ben Fatihoudine from the Comoros has won the Mengtian Award (third prize). It uses diagonal composition to depict two scenes: an astronaut holding the Comoros flag as he floats in space near the moon, and the launch of a rocket.

3. "Good Friend" by Gambor-Maita Gradilla from the Central African Republic has won the Mengtian Award (third prize). In the painting, UFOs fly through the sky, and astronauts walk on the surface of a new planet with a large white spacecraft in the background. The artist says the piece was inspired by science comic books and news reports on China's rocket launch and space station.

4. "The Universe in the Eyes of An African Kid" by Mayen K. from South Sudan. This black and white pencil drawing won the Wentian Award (second prize). Half of the astronaut's helmet and half of an African kid's face formed the key vision. The details are vivid: the vast universe, the astronaut through the eyes of a child, reflecting African youths' passion for flying to space.

5. "My Dream in Space and Time" by Oleandro Pires Garcia from Cape Verde. This contemporary piece has won the Mengtian Award (third prize). It uses non-traditional materials such as metals and wires to represent the panels and square elements on China's space station. Four white background squares in the center represent the "cross or T" shape of the station.