Digital Divide, eGY-Africa and the way forward Victor CHUKWUMA 1, Babatunde RABIU 2, Monique PETITDIDIER 3, Les COTTRELL 4, Charles BARTON 5, 1 Department of Physics, Olabisi Onabanjo University, PO Box 351, Ago-Iwoye Ogun State, NIGERIA Tel: , 2Department of Physics,Federal University of Technology, Akure, Nigeria. Tel: , 3 Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Avenue de l'Europe, Velizy, France. 4Stanford Linear Accelerator, Computer Services, Stanford Linear Accelerator Center, 2575 Sand Hill Rd, M/S 97, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA Tel: , 5Research School of Earth Sciences, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT 0200., Australia Tel: , Fax: , 1

Research and higher education in Africa Most research carried out in higher education institutions Almost entirely financed by government Lack of resources (infrastructure, equipment, financial and other incentives) Little university-industry linkage Isolation of researchers/research teams Tertiary gross enrolment rate: 5% (World average: 24%; North America + Europe: 70%) 600+ higher education institutions As at May 2009, Association of African Universities has 213 members from the following 45 African countries. Aging faculty Brain drain 2

Targets of eGY-Africa Reverse digital divide between Africa and industrialized countries. Brain drain  Need to reduce brain drain as result of frustration (lack of intellectual reward due to isolation) Brain gain  Tap potential of diaspora for its contribution to African development Massification  Blended distance learning as one response to the problem Scarce resources  Need to share (not only information, knowledge, pedagogical resources, etc. but also human resources) Regional/continental integration Collaboration with AAU 3

Update on the internet penetration 4

Update on the internet penetration 2 5

Update on the internet penetration 3 6

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AAU member-Universities and Internet Usage in Africa 9

AAU member-Universities and Internet Usage in Africa 2 10

Collaborations with NRENs in Africa Established NRENs:TENET (South Africa), KENET (Kenya), MAREN (Malawi),EUN Egypt), MARWAN (Morocco), RNU (Tunisia),CERIST (Algeria) New NRENs (UbuntuNet momentum): (DRC), MoRENet (Mozambique),RENU (Uganda), RwNet (Rwanda),SUIN (Sudan),TERNET (Tanzania) Emerging NRENS: ZAMREN (Zambia), NAMREN (Namibia), NgREN (Nigeria, Commitment of 10s of VCs to have it established by end of 2008), GARNET (Ghana),Cameroonian REN (embryo exists with RIC),Senegal (RENER), Côte d'Ivoire 11

Collaborations with UbuntNet Alliance Connected to GEANT since January 2008 through 1 Gbps link Formal REN, advanced network and sufficient bandwidth: NONE Formal REN and underlying operational infrastructure: Kenya, South Africa, Sudan Formal REN but no underlying operational infrastructure: Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, DRC, Uganda, Malawi, Mozambique REN in formation: Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Ethiopia, Namibia, Somalia, Eritrea 12