Research and Education Networking in Sub Saharan Africa: UbuntuNet Alliance, the Regional Research and Education Network for Eastern and Southern Africa the Regional Research and Education Network for Eastern and Southern Africa (and the emerging WACREN) Margaret E Ngwira Board Member and Head of Secretariat Prepared for CHAIN Launch, 14 December 2010

2 Area Tertiary Education / Africa as opportunity! World by area

UbuntuNet Alliance: Our Vision and Role We see an African continent holding its own as a member of the global REN community We see an African continent holding its own as a member of the global REN community One key role: enabling connectivity of national and regional RENs, with sufficient and affordable connection to each other and the international research community via fibre. One key role: enabling connectivity of national and regional RENs, with sufficient and affordable connection to each other and the international research community via fibre. We work with the Association of African Universities REN Unit which provides continent-wide policy level stimulus, guidance and international governmental level negotiations and linkages We work with the Association of African Universities REN Unit which provides continent-wide policy level stimulus, guidance and international governmental level negotiations and linkages We also support AAU in the development of WACREN which is working to establish NRENs in West Africa and early progress is with GARNET, Ghana, the Senegal NREN and NgREN,Nigeria We also support AAU in the development of WACREN which is working to establish NRENs in West Africa and early progress is with GARNET, Ghana, the Senegal NREN and NgREN,Nigeria

UbuntuNet Alliance = 5C 1. Coordination 2. Capacity Building 3. Connectivity 4. Content 5. Communication

1. Coordination

1. Coordination UbuntuNet Alliance membership December 2010 Chair appointed by AAU: Prof Z D Kadzamira, Malawi CEO: Dr Tusu Tusubira, Kampala,Uganda Secretariat: Lilongwe, Malawi Member country NRENs : 13 UbuntuNet participated in EU FP7 projects: currently ERINA4Africa and CHAIN and recently completed GLOBAL

1. Coordination Secretariat, Lilongwe, Malawi, Oct 2010

1. Coordination There is still a lot to do in our region... Formal REN, advanced network and sufficient bandwidth: NONE Formal REN and some underlying operational infrastructure: Kenya, South Africa, Sudan, Formal REN and limited operational infrastructure: Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia DRC, Uganda, Mozambique, Namibia REN in formation: Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Zimbabwe Formal REN and no operational infrastructure: Somalia

2. Capacity Building

NSRC NSRC AfNOG AfNOG FRENIA FRENIA AfriNIC AfriNIC ICTP ICTP ISOC ISOC INASP INASP Roberto/EELA Roberto/EELA UbuntuNet Alliance NREN CEOs and CTOs on a field visit in South Africa, November 2010 Organisation we interface with in Capacity Building:

2. Capacity Building We also conduct Training Needs Assessments for the sector We also conduct Training Needs Assessments for the sector We are then working on Curriculum Development for ICT and e- infrastructure in the region We are then working on Curriculum Development for ICT and e- infrastructure in the region

3. Connectivity

3. Connectivity UbuntuNet Backbone Vision

Legend 3. Connectivity Submarine cables – TEAMS, SEACOM, EASSy… SAT-3 (WASC-SAFE) Operator Club SEACOM (E. Africa to London) Investors. Open access. TEAMS (Mombasa to Fujairah) Kenyan Govt. EASSy (E. Africa to Port Sudan) Operator consortium WACS (Cape Town to London) Operator consortium MaIN OnE (W. Africa to Portugal) Investors. Open access Phase 2: Luanda, Cape Town Cable Map: Thanks to Steve Song.

3.Connectivity Intra-African Connectivity map

3 Connectivity AfricaConnect : linking to GÉANT, the EU Research and Education Network

3 Connectivity From GÉANT: Academic Networking Worldwide

3 Connectivity AfricaConnect Discussions in Cambridge, UK with Dante, Aug 2009

3 Connectivity Dante NOC in Cambridge showing Network traffic flowing through the GÉANT network including through the UbuntuNet Router, being upgraded to 20Gb/s in January 2011

3. Connectivity AfricaConnect is one of the early deliverables of the Africa-EU Partnership on Science, Information Society and Space. The objective is to integrate the African research and education communities both regionally and internationally, using the most cost-effective high bandwidth network capacity. EU Funding model 80:20 and all Alliance NRENs have made their initial contribution The target is to ensure initially 4 or 5 emerging National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) in sub-Saharan countries have digital connection for their students and researchers in sufficient capacity and on affordable terms.

4 : Content

4 Content Content Services and Lighthouse applications

4. Content Alliance FP7 projects to date 1.GLOBAL project project.eu The GLOBAL Project ran from May 2008 – October 2010 and participation was very beneficial to UbuntuNet Aliance

4 Content Content and Applications The ERINA4Africa project identified e-infrastructure activities but many are limited by the network constraints The ERINA4Africa project identified e-infrastructure activities but many are limited by the network constraints

4. Content 2.ERINA4Africa Exploiting Research INfrastructures potentiAl for boosting Research and Innovation in Africa; Results brochure on erina4africa website

4. Content Partner in CHAIN, working with Bruce Becker of SAGRID Partner in CHAIN, working with Bruce Becker of SAGRID

4. Content Examples of trans border Content Networks who would have potential applications 1. East African Fisheries Research Organisation 2. NAPRECA : Natural Products Research Network for Eastern and Central Africa 3. CG Agriculture Research Network 4. Malaria and other health networks

4. ContentApplications 1 st GRID training in eastern and southern Africa, KCN Nov potential e-health apps E-learning Digital Repositories

4 Content LightHouse Applications: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Project, COM

4 Content Magnetic Resonance Imaging Project 2 (COM, Malawi)

5 : Communication

5 : Communication: UbuntuNet-Connect2010, Johannesburg November 2010: Annual Conference and capacity building cluster

Section 5 Communication: NUANCE monthly e- newsletter

Acknowledgements Worldmapper.org Worldmapper.org Thanks to Dr F F Tusubira, Dr Duncan Martin and Bruce Zamaere for use of some of the content Thanks to Dr F F Tusubira, Dr Duncan Martin and Bruce Zamaere for use of some of the content