"Help Nigeria’s Moon Girl Get To IAC 2026

I am Nigeria’s Moon Girl. 🌙🇳🇬

I am on a mission to see Nigeria’s flag on the Moon and to help advance space education and technology in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.

I want a little child somewhere in Nigeria to look at the sky and believe that reaching the stars is possible. I want young people to have access to opportunities, exposure, knowledge and the right people that can transform their lives. I want them to be able to build successful businesses that solve real problems for Nigerians and Africans.

This is a huge dream. It is my vision. It is my mission.

And somehow, this dream has taken me to a place I once only imagined.

I am Ikeh Chidera Anastasia, a 400-level Aerospace Engineering student at Lagos State University (LASU). I have been selected by the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) to participate in the UN/IAF 33rd Workshop on Space Economy Opportunities for Emerging Nations in Antalya, Türkiye, and attend the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2026.

I am one of only three Nigerians selected for the UN event and the only student among them.

Getting this opportunity was not easy.

I spent hours working on my application and preparing for the selection process. When my interview was scheduled, I was in a boot camp. My network was not working, so I had to beg someone for a hotspot just to attend. I was logged out three times during the interview, but the interviewers were incredibly understanding, and I was eventually able to complete it.

When I received the news that I had been selected, I knew that all the effort had been worth it.

I have also had to make sacrifices along the way. I used my own savings to fast-track my international passport because I knew I could not afford to miss the opportunity simply because I wasn’t prepared.

Today, I have another challenge.

UNOOSA is covering my flight, my accommodation from October 2–5 and my IAC registration fee. However, my Turkish visa and accommodation from October 5–10 are not covered.

I urgently need ₦315,000 for my visa expenses by Wednesday. After that, the campaign will remain open to help me cover the remaining accommodation costs for IAC.

I am not asking because this journey has been easy. I am asking because I have come too far to let finances be the reason I stop now.

Being at IAC means being in a room with people building the future of space. It means learning, asking questions, building relationships and seeing what is possible for Africa. It means bringing those experiences back home and using them to create more opportunities for the young people coming after me.

This opportunity also gives me a chance to speak about the Nigeria and Africa I believe is possible.

It can be done.

And one day, the world will watch me bring this vision to life. 🚀🇳🇬🌙

If you can support me with ₦1,000, ₦5,000, ₦10,000 or any amount you can, you will be helping me take one more step towards this dream.

And if you cannot donate, please share this campaign. Someone in your network may be the person who can help make this possible.

Urgent goal by Wednesday: ₦315,000 — Visa
Remaining goal: Accommodation for October 5–10

Thank you for believing in my dream, in young Nigerians, and in the future of African space.

Nigeria’s Moon Girl is on her way. 🌙🇳🇬🚀