If Earthlings are ever going to colonise Mars, they won't be able to do so on an empty stomach -- and Temidayo Oniosun thinks a helping of Egusi soup, a Nigerian staple, might just hit the spot.

Space in Africa, the Lagos-based firm Oniosun founded, is expecting its Egusi melon seeds to splash down in the Pacific Ocean Saturday -- fresh from a trip to the International Space Station.

Once Earthside, experiments will begin on what is being hailed as the first food native to west Africa to be sent to space.

As Oniosun told AFP on Friday, it could herald an era where space exploration reflects the planet's diversity.

"When we talk about humans colonising other planets, this is not just an American mission or a European mission -- this is a global mission," he told AFP.

And future African

See Full Page