African Research & Education Networking Workshop, CERN 25 – 27 Sept 2005

1. Association of African Universities (AAU) Bandwidth Initiative:Lessons, Gaps and Emerging Directions African Research & Education Networking Workshop, CERN 25 – 27 Sept 2005 F F Tusubira and Nora K Mulira tusu@dicts.mak.ac.ug; nora@dicts.mak.ac.ug

2. Contents .. • The Starting Point.. • Issues • Gaps, Lessons, and Emerging Direction

3. The Starting Point.. • BAND-ITs, and AVU follow-on Reports • ATICS Report • PAREN Report • AUBC Discussion List • Discussions: IDRC; Sida, Connectivity Africa; Partnership for Higher Education in Africa; Association of African Universities • (T Blair) Commission for Africa Report • Our thinking; our experience; our commitment

4. Issues Examined… • The Need for Bandwidth? • Pre-conditions for Efficient Exploitation • Capacity for efficient utilisation • Access to Internet vs Intra-African BW: detrench airline syndrome • Supply level management issues • Procurement issues • Consumer Consortia; Development Partner Consortia; Suppliers Consortia. • Different policy, regulatory, and technology environments

5. Suppliers Consumers Development Partners A B C Levels: A-National; B-Regional; C-Continental The Challenge….

6. Lessons, Gaps and Emerging Directions

7. Cost and required intervention.. • Put cost in Perspective: 50 times more or de facto 5,000 time more? There are generic drugs but no generic bandwidth. • Relates to level and duration of financial intervention • No quick fix solution - Development partners will have to take the courageous and correct decision: if the intention is to create some measure of equity, sufficient resources must be invested, including recurrent support (on a phasing out basis), for some time

8. Consumer Consortia Leadership • Identification of acceptable and relevant high level home a major challenge in any consortium • Key Requirements: Ownership and Trust • Association of African Universities is a widely accepted forum – legitimate home • AAU members formally decided to take on this initiative • Where/If there is lack of capacity, the sustainable approach is to build it, not to create parallel institutions

9. Governance and Operations • Executive Council of 7 – Policy direction and monitoring: • Chair from AAU (Secretary General) • Representing AAU Members – 2 • Representing Continental policy level – 1 from either AU or NEPAD • Representing Development Partners – 2 • Representing multinational learning or research networks in Africa – 1 • Secretariat whose capacity has to be built • Short term – engage/contract an external party as Agent answerable to AAU.

10. Combine Bottom up and Top Down (1) • Bottom Up: • Support the start or the strengthening of national level consortia/ integration, the basic building block • Support start or strengthening multi-national level integration through associations of institutions in politico-economic groupings (eg the Inter-University for East Africa in the EAC). • At the continental level, it is likely to be a marriage of common approaches rather than common solutions.

11. Combine Bottom up and Top Down (2) • Top Down (AAU) • Spearhead a Master Plan that will provide both African Institutions and Development Partners with a coordinated and coherent implementation framework • Document and give guidance of best practice approaches • Mobilise funding • Be the continental implementing organisation

12. Combine Bottom up and Top Down (3) • Top Down (AAU) - ctd • Lobby at the regional and continental level to promote favourable policy and regulatory frameworks • Work with consortia to increasingly add value until the main focus of consortia is the higher level motivation of networked learning, research and community outreach • Monitoring and evaluation

13. Development Partners • Is it realistic to expect development partners to put funds into a common pot in the short term? No, but… • .. they will fund different elements of a coordinated master plan, with entry points at the institutional, national, or multi-national level • Should come out clearly with their positions to avoid false starts.. • Should cede, and be seen to cede direction and control to the African institutions (within an agreed framework)

14. Setting the ball rolling ..(1) • Acceptance by the stakeholders of AAU as the home of the initiative • Defining and establishment of the Executive Council under the auspices of the AAU. (Put in place an Interim Executive Council chaired by the Secretary General of the AAU) • Establishment of a lean secretariat • Definition of the Master Plan

15. Setting the ball rolling ..(2) • Discussion and Adoption of the Master Plan by Stakeholders (Through Executive Council and a formal meeting of stakeholders) • Mobilisation of funding • Engagement of an Agent if that is an option agreed by the Executive Council • Rolling out the Master Plan. • THANK YOU!