African nations have entered the space race, with Ghana as the most recent example of this bold technological achievement. [...] Other nations of the world have utilized space technology as a means of scientific advancement and socioeconomic progress. Ghana and other nations of the African Union and are no exception, as they become players in the global space race, and seek leadership status in the frontiers beyond Earth.

The statue is the most visible part of an exhibition put on by the British Council, a cultural-exchange outfit, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight. The exhibition is modest, filling a room in the Council’s offices with artefacts, pictures and documents from the Soviet space programme.