Project R

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Project RDMobilizing Science and Technology for
Africas Strategic Socio-Economic and Global
Competitive Capacity DevelopmentA Partnership
between Telcom Africa International Corporation,
Global Partners, Africa and the World

• Joseph Okpaku, Ph.D.
• President CEO, Telecom Africa International
  Corporation
• Jakita O. Thomas, Ph.D.
• Research Staff Member, IBM

2
Outline

• The Issue
• Role of RD in the global knowledge economy
• Africas Attractiveness
• Project RD
• The Proposal

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The Issue

• Two key global changes
• Changes in global competitiveness
• Knowledge and Innovation
• Vs
• Coercive power and Material wealth
• Changes in science and technology
• Explosion in ST, especially in telecom and IT
• Stimulation of research and development
• Africa as one of the last emerging markets
• New jobs in science, engineering and overall
  industrialization of Africa
• Yet not benefited as China, India, Brazil, etc

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The role of RD in the global knowledge economy

• Definition of RD
• The process of identifying, defining, diagnosing
  and solving problems so as to develop products
  and services
• The livewire of science and technology
• The brain of technology enterprises and of
  intellectual property
• Role of RD in the developing world
• Deployment of knowledge among citizens
• Increase their productivity
• Increase global competitive capacity
• Create opportunities that eliminate poverty

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Africas Attractiveness

• As the latest emerging market
• Consistent highest ROI
• New and increased demands
• local scientific expertise, products, and
  services
• Attractive market for outsourcing production of
  value-added goods and services
• Added benefit of greater proximity to global
  markets and widespread knowledge of global trade
  languages --- English, French, Spanish,
  Portuguese
• Vast Array of Complex Problems Challenges
  Demanding Solutions
• Fertile grounds for problem-solving, i.e., RD,
  especially in Science Technology
• Ideal environment for knowledge, creativity and
  innovation
• Large population of smart young men and women
  eager for knowledge and able to be trained and
  deployed
• local scientific expertise, products, and
  services
• Large untapped market with little prospect of
  early saturation

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Africas Attractiveness

• The problem
• A mismatch between
• Domestic and regional market demands
• Ubiquitous deployment of packaged solutions
  rather than Africa-specific solutions
• Solution
• Train and Deploy relevant ST and RD to meet the
  sophistication and needs of the African economy
• Justification for Action
• Willingness to change
• Existing Human Resource Capacity
• Large African community with competitive
  world-class knowledge and expertise
• Global and local locations
• Committed to drive Africas ST

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Project RD

• Goal
• To establish a strategic corporate enterprise and
  response to the African quantum development
  challenge
• To Introduce, infuse and entrench Science and
  Technology through Research and Development into
  African corporate and public enterprise as key
  strategic tool for driving Africas internal
  development and competitive march into the global
  economy.
• Objectives
• To mobilize Knowledge and (ST) for Africas
  strategic socio-economic development modern
  economy
• To build its global competitive capacity through
  a global public-private-academic partnership
• To create an orderly and logical process of
  problem-solving

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Project RD

• Strategy
• Create and entrench sophisticated Research and
  Development (RD) in Africas ST
• Institutionalize world-class levels of competence
  
• Collaborate with local and global partners

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Project RD

• Project Leaders
• Telecom Africa International Corporation
• Commercial enterprise
• Partnerships
• with leading technology firms and academic
  institutions in Africa and globally
• with world-class African Knowledge and ST
  experts worldwide
• With world-class non-African Knowledge and ST
  experts interested in (or intrigued by) RD
  opportunities offered by Africas novel
  challenges
• Outputs
• Craft products and service-oriented long-term
  strategies
• RD (current proposal)
• Build a comprehensive RD program in Africa for
  both Pure and Applied ST
• Create intellectual property through knowledge
  and innovation

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Project RD

• Priority areas of focus
• Knowledge and innovation
• Telecommunications
• ICT
• Energy
• Health services delivery
• Environmental sciences and waste management
• Civil and Corporate Management
• Education and development sciences

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Project RD

• Global Partners
• Already global leaders or emerging smart players
  in
• strategic capacity development of ST
• Proposed areas of RD
• Past experience/successes
• China, India, Brazil
• Or keen interest in being part of (and
  contributing variously to) this exciting
  initiative
• Committed to pre-emptive positioning as Africas
  strategic partner in future through shared-global
  innovation.
• Committed to respecting and supporting Africas
  dream to take its rightful place as competitive
  partner in the global dispensation

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Project RD

• Collaborators
• African and international academic and research
  institutions
• African corporations and business enterprises
• African and foreign governments, sub-regional
  regional organisations
• African experts worldwide at home and abroad
• Interested non-African experts worldwide
• Global corporations
• International Organisations
• International Colleges and Universities

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Project RD

• Required Institutional Components
• Telecom Africa Research Laboratories
• Select research laboratories in African
  universities
• Select research laboratories in international
  universities
• Telecom Africa Global Virtual Research Laboratory
• Safe-Proofing Laboratory
• Manufacturing Facilities and/or manufacturing
  partnerships
• Strategic Unit or Think Tank

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Project RD Institutional Components Elaborated

• Telecom Africa Research Laboratories
• A physical research laboratory
• a headquarters laboratory
• a network of satellite laboratories
• sub-regional and national
• Telecom Africa Global Virtual Research Laboratory
  
• Includes
• Africas network of satellite laboratories
• satellite and partner virtual laboratories in
  selected locations around the world

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Project RD Institutional Components Elaborated

• Safe-Proofing Laboratory
• A safe proving ground for RD aiming to
• Safeguard or minimize the risks of deployment
• Commercialize and incubate innovations prior to
  deployment
• Adjust models prior to field testing or
  full-blown deployment
• Manufacturing Facilities
• To leverage the facilities and capacities of
  other technology enterprises
• Ensure latest global best strategic practices
• Draw on lessons learned
• Strategic Unit (Think Tank)

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Project RDDesign and Implementation

• Requirements
• Infrastructure
• Physical Laboratories
• Virtual Laboratories
• Field research and product development
• Physical Infrastructural Requirements
• Physical plant
• Security
• Access to civil works
• Telecommunications
• Power and energy
• Global connectivity with sufficient bandwidth

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Project RDDesign and Implementation

• Conceptualization (of physical infrastructure)
• Design
• Detailing
• Construction
• Potential Key Challenges
• Infrastructure
• Power
• Connectivity
• Bandwidth

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Project RDProject Operations

• Capacity Development
• Based on
• Cutting-edge innovative training models such as
  IBMs SSME
• Model for Africas Self-Development (TAIC)
• Design a RD education program for Africas
• Universities
• Research institutions
• Provide training for Africas
• Public and
• private sector
• Promote ST as routine problem-solving among
  young African children

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Project RDResearch and Development

• Foundation of Project RD
• Designed to create projects and services with
• Strategic value
• Commercial value

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Project RDProject Structure and Participation

• Brain center of the project
• Telecom Africa Research Laboratories
• Supporting structures
• Institutional support
• Global partners
• Continental African initiative

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Project RDProject Management

• Board of Governors
• Overall authority
• Participation Committee
• Directing team
• Selection basis
• Criteria for Satellite labs expansion

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Project RDUniqueness of scope and reach

• Project RD is unique because its scope is wider
  and its reach its broader
• Includes multiple focus areas of research
  (health, energy, environment, etc.)
• Continental in design, import and impact
• Global effort rather than provincial or country
  specific

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Project RDThe Proposal

• Telecom Africa and Global Strategic Partners
  collaborate to
• Develop, design, build, and operate Project RD
• Collaborate with
• Universities and research institutions in Africa
• Other technical and strategic partners worldwide
• Partners corresponding governments

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Project RDRole of Telecom Africa International
Corporation

• Participate actively in all project processes
• Design
• Develop
• Implement
• Institutional leadership in implementation
• Mobilize actors
• Define priority areas
• Source business and collaborative opportunities
• Facilitate legal and regulatory procedures
• Facilitate policy harmonization

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Project RDRole of Global Strategic Partners

• Participate in all project processes
• Develop
• Design
• Implement
• Manage
• Help provide start up resources
• Seed funding
• Design and cost of labs
• Mobilize global partners
• Knowledge resources to mentor project
• Scientific knowledge to jumpstart research

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Project RDJoint Roles

• Global Strategic Partners and Telecom Africa will
  jointly
• Mastermind and manage Project RD
• Raise project funds
• Mobilize partners
• Conduct strategic project advocacy in Africa and
  abroad

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Project RDProject Funding

• Based on a Feasibility Study and Business Plan
• Funding a composite of
• Grants
• Development assistance
• Contributions (in cash and in-kind)
• Advance payment from contract research
• Soft loans (if needed) tie repayment to revenue
• Project revenue (as elaborated below)

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Project RDProject Funding

• Revenue Sources
• Competitive commercial outputs
• Consulting services
• Innovation products
• Outsourcing services
• Royalties from intellectual property and patents

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Project RDBenefits to Global Strategic Partners

• Recognition as a leading, cutting-edge global
  innovator
• Opportunity to create/expand intellectual capital
  that can be used as assets for clients
• Recognition as early contributor to the
  development of ST, RD, and economic development
  of African continent
• Research collaborations between Project RDs
  global partners and continental African
  initiative (private and public sectors,
  universities)
• Recognition as key partner in the creation and
  growth of a global distributed service system
  with far reaching impact economically, socially,
  and scientifically

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Project RDBenefits to African Universities

• Rapid development of RD capacity in real world
  environment, with direct impact on growth and
  development of Africa
• Opportunity to work with and learn from leading
  global university and corporate scientists and
  researchers while building in-campus African
  capacity
• Impact of this on rapidly upgrading intellectual
  and scientific capacity in ST in African
  universities
• Opportunity to create/expand intellectual capital
  that can be used as assets for the universities
• Opportunity to be part of creating intellectual
  property/patents, the dream of all scientists
• Making African universities become more relevant
  to society by becoming strategic contributors to
  the development of ST, RD, and economic
  development of African continent
• Recognition as key partner in the creation and
  growth of a global distributed service system
  with far reaching impact economically, socially,
  and scientifically

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Telecom Africa and the Association of African
Universities

• Creating a high-level strategic partnership with
  Telecom Africa
• A concrete response to the dream of partnership
  between Africa and the African Diaspora
• A model for replication
• Mutual understanding of the vision and mission of
  all Africans at home and abroad, as one and
  indivisible
• Partnership to create a globally-competitive
  knowledge, innovation intellect and
  expertise-driven Smart 21st Century modern
  African Society
• No ifs, no buts

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• Contact
• Dr. Joseph O. Okpaku, Sr.
• Project RD
• Telecom Africa International Corporation
• 222 Forest Avenue
• New Rochelle, N. Y. 10804 USA
• Tel [phone] / Fax [phone]