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Summary from the meeting of Sunday, 18 September 2005

Progress and Challenges in Building National Research and Education Networks In Africa : A View from the Field. Summary from the meeting of Sunday, 18 September 2005. Overview.

geoffrey-stewart
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Summary from the meeting of Sunday, 18 September 2005

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  1. Progress and Challenges in Building National Research and Education Networks In Africa : A View from the Field Summary from the meeting of Sunday, 18 September 2005

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

  3. 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

  4. Campus network – highlights • 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

  5. 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

  6. 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.

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. NRENs - highlights • NRENs have a role to play • There 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

  10. 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 12mnths

  11. 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)

  12. Regional/Continental – highlights • 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

  13. 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)

  14. 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.

  15. Thanks! • Presentations and archived webstream • http://international.internet2.edu • Courtesy of Ohio State University, home of the Internet2 Commons service • Major travel funding for speakers: • Carnegie Corporation • Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC) • Rockefeller Foundation • Ford Foundation • EUMEDCONNECT • Workshop support: • Microsoft Research – Internet2 Corporate Partner

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