Issues in R

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Issues in RE Networking in Africa

• Workshop on African Research and Education
  Networking
• CERN
• Mon, Sept 26 2005
• Geneva, Switzerland
• Mike Jensen
• International Development Research Centre (IDRC)
• mikej_at_sn.apc.org

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African Tertiary Institution Connectivity Survey
(ATICS.INFO)
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Population Teledensity in Africa
Sources ESRI, GSM Association/Coversoft , ITU,
Mike Jensen
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Backbones and ER Institutions
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Restrictive Regulatory Environment - The Key
Barrier
Lack of telecom restructuring has resulted in
high costs and limited investment in
infrastructure - State owned monopolies still
dominate - Some foreign investment in monopolies
in return for continued exclusivity - Limited
introduction of competition - 1 or 2 additional
fixed line players in a few countries - Use of
satellite, and wireless data (Wifi/Wimax etc)
restricted in most countries
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Many systemic barriersElectricity, Import
duties,Skills
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Other Issues

• - No benefit in Africa from Dot-Com bubble burst
• - So far little use of alternative
  infrastructure
• - Operators do not want to provide to dark fibre
  
• Few national peering points, no regional IXs
• Limited capacity to design, implement and manage
  networks
• E-Rate only in a few countries Senegal and
  South Africa
• Human networks are undeveloped
• Lack of awareness among policy makers of
  importance of access to bandwidth for RE
  institutions
• Competition between institutions for funding

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• Infrastructure Builders
• Fixed Line Operators, Foreign Carriers
• New Players Rail, Pipeline and Electricity
  Operators
• Mobile Operators esp with Contiguous Borders

- Internet Service Providers- Fibre deployment
companies- Governments Regulators and
Municipalities- Universities?
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RE Support Activities

• Partnership for Higher Education in Africa
  campus networks bandwidth purchasing consortium
• World Bank funded AVU to survey RE agencies in
  50 African countries (atics.info), WB Africa desk
  also discussing other options
• UN University (UNU) in collaboration with the ITU
  to establish an African Universities Network
  (AFUNET)

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Support Activities (2)

• USAID supports the development of Internet
  connectivity for some African Universities as
  part of the Leland Project
• World Association of Industrial and Technological
  Research Organisations (WAITRO) is building the
  capacity of its 48 members in 25 countries
  comprising all the major research and technology
  organisations (RTOs) on the continent. CSIR in
  South Africa is African focal point.
• Initiatives to provide electronic content
  identify need for better b/w INASP, Eifl.Net,
  National Academies Press, AGORA /TEEAL, HINARI,
  Jstor

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Support Activities (3)

• The Organisation Internationale de la
  Francophonie (OIF) hosts the Agence Universitaire
  de la Francophonie (AUF) in charge of project
  cooperation between universities. The AUF have a
  variety of university support programmes such as
  the Campus numérique and ADEN
• Scientific and Technical Information System
  (SIST) promotes integration of African research
  in the international scientific networks,
  develops tools for sharing ST info to encourage
  African production of ST data
• RESAFAD (Réseau Africain de Formation à Distance)
  will foster use of ICTs in the education systems
  of ten French -speaking African countries,
  provide distance learning for ICT trainers
  support for pilot projects with civil society
• Projets COMETES MADSUP training trainers in
  the field of ICTs, developing tools for sharing
  ST info and institutional support, interconnect
  Universities in Madagascar Cameroon

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Support Activities (4)

• IEEAF in the US supporting initiatives to bring
  better bandwidth African institutions
• The EU supports EUMEDCONNECT and EMISPHER
  Projects - Euro-Mediterranean Internet-Satellite
  Platform for Health, Medical, Education and
  Research co-ordinated by DANTE, project connects
  NRENs in North Africa to GEANT. Also links to
  South African NREN, TENET
• IDRC promotes information exchange, research on
  networks and human capacity - sponsors events and
  participation - via PAREN project Promoting
  African Research and Education Networks

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Support Activities (5)

• The Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM)
  research network Mimcom supported by the US
  National Institutes of Health, providing
  connectivity to a variety of African medical
  research organisations
• The International Center for Theoretical Physics
  (ICTP) has been assisting with capacity building
  for improved Internet connectivity in a variety
  of African Universities
• Global University System (GUS) aims to establish
  a worldwide e-learning system for higher
  education -Ethiopia (Us of Addis, Bahr Dar and
  Debub), Nigeria (OAU), Uganda (UNCST), and Malawi
  (U of Malawi) with Japanese funding
• Millenium Science Initiative (MSI) initiatives
  planned in Uganda, Cameroon, Botswana and Namibia
  and Tanzania

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African Activities

• African Virtual University (AVU) 24 campus
  links
• Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania and most of
  North Africa now have NRENS
• The Southern African Regional Universities
  Association (SARUA) plans dark fibre network
• SA Dept of Science and Technology looking at the
  feasibility of establishing a Southern African
  Research and Education Network
• Advanced Institute for Mathematical Sciences
  (AIMS) in SA with Dept of ST developed NEPAD
  proposal for connectivity to 20 African tertiary
  institutions
• African Union in talks with India to build a
  satellite network for academic and health
  networks in Africa
• At its 11th AGM in Feb 05, the African
  Association of Universities (AAU) decided that
  b/w is a priority issue and will host a WSIS
  conference in Tunis, Nov 14 15 supported by IDRC

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• Conclusions
• Digital divide is at its most extreme among RE
  institutions
• Agencies supporting RE sector need more
  co-ordination and joint projects, and more
  emphasis on cross cutting and open access
  infrastructure building
• African RE institutions need to collaborate more
• African policy makers need more awareness of the
  importance of RE networks budgets and telecom
  restructuring

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• Towards a Framework for Action
• Five Key Areas gt
• 1. Campus Networks Training Investment
• 2. National Networks NRENs capacity
  building, joint purchasing consortia and
  policy change lobbying
• 3. Regional Networks cross border links,
  policy change
• 4. Continental Networking Africa wide and
  intercontinental
• 5. Building and sharing content applications
  (human networks)

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• Thank You