Draft Proceedings

Report of the Conference on African Research and Education Network Infrastructure (January 17th, 2006 )

8.30

Welcome and Introduction: The antecedents of the conference –Steve Song, Connectivity Africa, IDRC

8.40

Welcome and Introduction: Towards a roadmap to increased bandwidth resources for African universities – Akilagpa Sawyerr, Secretary General, AAU

8.50

Keynote: the importance of bandwidth to national education, science and technology and development policy – Venancio Massingue, Minister of Science and Technology, Mozambique

9.15

Coffee break

9.45

Panel 1: Building campus level capacity and infrastructure

Chair: Isatou Secka Jah, MRC Labs Jahara, Gambia
Rapporteur: Americo Muchanga, CIUEM, Mozambique

Panelists:

• Bob Hawkins: WBI - ATICS – Lessons for the future of campus networks in Africa
• Albert Nsengiyumva – National University Rwanda - NUR network from the perspective of NREN development in Rwanda
• Ibrahim Niang, UCAD, Dakar – Capacity and infrastructure requirements
• Emmanuel Tonye: Cameroon University Network: Challenges in building the Cameroon University Network
• Martin Belcher: INASP: Bandwidth Management Optimisation

11.15

Panel 2: Exploiting the NREN potential in Africa

Chair: Duncan Martin, TENET, South Africa
Rapporteur: Aouaouche El-Maouhab, CERIST, Algeria

Panelists:

• Margaret Ngwira, MALICO, Malawi: The logic of library-driven NRENs
• Victor Kyalo – KENET – forming an NREN in Kenya
• Aminu Ibrahim – Ahmedu Bello University, Nigeria: Networking steps in Nigeria
• Ahmedou Ould Haouba, NIC, Mauritania: Towards an NREN in Mauritania
• Enrique Pelaez , CEDIA, Ecuador: Comments from an Ecuadorean NREN Perspective

12.45

Lunch

14.00

Panel 3: Overcoming Constraints to multi-country collaboration – geographic and interest-based networks

Chair: Carmen Mena-Abela, EC, DG Information Society
Rapporteur:John Dyer, TERENA

Panelists:

• Sandra Aluoch, AVU: The bandwidth consortium – what next?
• Bjorn Pehrson, KTH: Results of and lessons from the fibre study in Southern Africa
• Doug Hull–Connectivity Partners Int’l: Results of and lessons from the fibre study in North Africa
• David West, Dante: EUMEDConnect – a stimulus to the development of NRENs in North Africa

15.30

Coffee break

16.00

Panel 4: Pan-African options – capturing synergies among different initiatives

Chair: Lishan Adam
Rapporteur: Mike Jensen

Panelists:

• Mavis Ampah, WB/GICT: The prospects for terrestrial fibre networks in Africa
• Don Riley, IEEAF: The NSF Study: links between the West Coast of Africa and the US
• Harald Holt, UNU/GVU GRID-Arendal : AFUNet: Global Connectivity for the African R&E Community
• F. F. Tusubira, Makerere University: AAU: Strategic framework and road map: a proposal
• Harry de Backer, Union European: Accessing EU support for university networking in Africa

18.00 - 20.00

Reception Restaurant Le Bistro Corinthia Hotel

8.30

Breakout sessions chaired by the panel chairs/rapporteurs to present and discuss conclusions of panel discussions

9.45

Coffee break

10.15

Road Map/Way Forward: Presentation and Integration of the panel reports

Chair: F.F. Tusubira, Makerere University
Rapporteur: Heloise Emdon, IDRC
Panelists :Day 1 Panel rapporteurs or others selected by breakout groups

• Panel 1
• Panel 2
• Panel 3
• Panel 4

11.15

Response by Stakeholders and International Partners issues and activities to be addressed by future programs

Chair: Silas Lwakabamba, KIST, Rwanda
Rapporteur:Alex Twinomugisha, GESCI

Panelists:

• Partnership for Higher Education in Africa – John Butler-Adam
• World Bank Institute – Bob Hawkins
• Economic Commission for Africa–Aida Opoku-Mensah
• UNDP – Pierre Dandjenou
• Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie – Didier Oillo
• CERN – European Centre for Nuclear Research – Hans-Falk Hoffman
• International Development Research Centre – Steve Song
• International Telecommunications Union – Asenath Mpatwa
• United Nations University – Banji Oyeyinka
• CISCO – Johan Paardekooper
• Open Society Institute for Southern Africa – Ashraf Patel

12.15

Summing Up and Closing
Akilagpa Sawyerr, Secretary General, AAU