Summary: Internet2 (and others) organized meetings on African R&E network connectivity

1. Summary: Internet2 (and others) organized meetings on African R&E network connectivity Heather Boyles, Internet2 heather@internet2.edu African Research and Education Networking Meeting CERN 26-27 September, 2005

2. Convergence of interests, efforts • Internet2 members’ interest group: extending the reach of R&E networking globally • Birds of a Feather (BoF) Sessions since 2002 • Special Interest Group formed earlier this year • Chair: Warren Matthews, GeorgiaTech • Internet2-hosted workshop May 2004 on issues involving all regions • “Expanding the Reach of Advanced Networking” • http://international.internet2.edu/intl_connect/agenda.html

3. Focus on African R&E networking • US National Science Foundation • Principal Investigators for African science collaborations workshop in January 2005 • “I.T. for Enhancing US-Africa Collaboration on the Environment” • Interest in funding connectivity project to R&E networks in Africa • Study Grant: “Extending High Bandwidth Academic and Research Networking to Africa” NSF Award #0451384 • George Sadowsky, PI: John Mack, Don Riley co-PIs

4. Focus on African R&E networking • IEEAF and Internet2 organized meeting in May 2005 • “Enhancing R&E Networking Connectivity to and within Africa” • http://international.internet2.edu/resources/events/2005/smmafricamtgagenda.html • 18 September 2005 meeting organized in conjunction with the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, IDRC and NSRC • “Progress and Challenges in Building National Research and Education Networks In Africa : A View from the Field” • http://international.internet2.edu/resources/events/2005/2005FMMAFRICAAGENDA.html

5. May ’05 Meeting • Objective: • LEARN! • bring together organizations engaged in active major initiatives to improve R&E network connectivity with and within Africa • share plans and projects, identify opportunities for collaboration between agencies and organizations • Goals: • Stimulate communication and collaboration • Focus on action agendas and next steps • Build critical mass and momentum

6. May ’05 Meeting Outcomes • Learned there are many parallel, intersecting and overlapping initiatives from international and African communities • Opportunities for synergy • Strong support for NREN and regional consortia model as way to address connectivity • Need for capacity building on campuses • #1: need engagement of leaders from African institutions

7. 18 September Meeting • Objective: • LEARN MORE! • Bring a number of leaders from African campus, NREN and regional consortia to Internet2 Member Meeting • Provide insight into progress and challenges • Engage with the global NREN community • Attend not only workshop but Internet2 International Task Force meeting (58 NREN organizations) and Internet2 Member Meeting

8. 18 Sept meeting: Overview • Speakers from universities, national networking and other research and education-oriented organizations in Africa (and a few from outside Africa – Ecuador, Mexico – for additional insight) • Campus, national and regional/continental networking issues • Keynote: Aki Sawyerr, Secretary General, Association of African Universities

9. Campus network session • F.F. Tusubira, Makerere University, Uganda • Kunle Kehinde, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Nigeria • Ibrahima Niang, Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD), Senegal • Enrique Pelaez, Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral (ESPOL), Ecuador

10. Campus network – highlightsSummarized by Tusu • Networking must be driven by the high level motivation of learning and research • There has been significant progress in many African universities in establishing campus networks – but in most African countries, these remain in the minority • A key element of coordinated progress is a clear policy and master plan that spells out the grand long term vision that leads to phased implementation

11. Campus network – cross-cutting themes/issues • ICT Policy and master plan – needs to be addressed in most of the universities through supporting the development of internal capacity • Funding is a major challenge – there is available funding for capital expenditure. The challenge is knowledge and the ability to tap into the sources

12. Campus network – cross-cutting themes/issues • Capacity building across the board to continuously equip staff with information resource management skills • Staff retention will always be a challenge. Universities must accept their role as training grounds, training and utilising students and young graduates to provide services, and maintaining working linkages with those who leave.

13. Campus network – themes/issues • Sustainability is a challenge, the major component, for most universities, being bandwidth. This however extends to hardware and software. Strategies for addressing these: • Working through consortia to reduce costs of procurement and ownership • Development of capacity to use open source tools

14. NRENs session • Duncan Martin, TENET, South Africa • Victor Kyalo, KENET, Kenya • Aminu Ibrahim, Nigeria ICT Forum • Anthony Muyepa, University of Malawi College of Medicine • Moses Bayingana, Rwanda Information Technology Authority

15. NRENs – highlightsSummarized by Victor • NRENs have a role to play • They are needed much more in developing countries where resources are scarce • Leverage heavily on economies of scale for: • Negotiating better deals • Mass generation of resources • Favorable advocacy • etc

16. NRENs – themes/issues • Institutional arrangements/frameworks • Challenges: • Capacity, infrastructure, interventions • Leverage on existing initiatives to achieve some wins • Collaboration avenues (existing and to be created) • Its possible and efforts will be started to achieve some progress in the next 12 months

17. Regional/Continental Session • Sandra Aluoch, African Virtual University • Isatou Jah, AfNOG (African Network Operators Group) • Americo Muchanga, SARUA (Southern Africa Regional Universities Association) Dark Fibre Study • Carlos Casasús, Cooperación Latinoamericana (CLARA)

18. Regional/Continental – highlightsSummarized by Sandra • Partnership for Higher Education in Africa Bandwidth Consortium • Lease entire transponder • Price savings from $20 Kbps to $2.33 Kbps over past 10 years using consolidated approach

19. Regional/Continental – highlights • Committed to over 51 Mbps • University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) • Makerere University (Uganda) • Eduardo Mondlane University (Mozambique) • University of Ghana (Ghana) • University of Education (Ghana) • Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria) • Obafemi Awolowo University (Nigeria) • Bayero University (Nigeria) • University of Ibadan (Nigeria) • University of Jos (Nigeria) • University of Port Harcourt (Nigeria) • Association of African Universities (Ghana) • Kenya Education Network (Kenya)

20. Next Steps • Continue negotiating for lower bandwidth pricing. • Provide training to universities on bandwidth monitoring, control and management. • Pass savings to other Universities on the continent.

21. 18 Sept ’05 meeting: what we learned • Incredible activity taking place in R&E networking with often times minimal resources • NREN model is being pursued (South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Malawi, Mozambique at least) • Solid basis for building R&E network connectivity within and between a number of countries

22. Thanks! • May ’05 meeting • IEEAF for co-organizing • Don Riley and Warren Matthews for co-chairing • September ’05 meeting • Major travel funding for participants from Africa: • Carnegie Corporation • International Development Research Centre (IDRC) • Rockefeller Foundation • Ford Foundation • EUMEDCONNECT • Workshop support: • Microsoft Research – Internet2 Corporate Partner • Webcast archive: • Ohio State University – Internet2 Commons NOC