1. 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 www.ubuntunet.net Prepared for CHAIN Launch, 14 December 2010

2. 2 Area Tertiary Education / Africa as opportunity! http://www.worldmapper.org World by area

3. 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

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

5. 1. Coordination

6. 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

7. 1. Coordination Secretariat, Lilongwe, Malawi, Oct 2010

8. 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

9. 2. Capacity Building

10. 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:

11. 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

12. 3. Connectivity

13. 3. Connectivity UbuntuNet Backbone Vision

14. Legend 3. Connectivity Submarine cables – TEAMS, SEACOM, EASSy… SAT-3 (WASC-SAFE) 2003. Operator Club SEACOM (E. Africa to London) 2009. Investors. Open access. TEAMS (Mombasa to Fujairah) 2009. Kenyan Govt. EASSy (E. Africa to Port Sudan) 2010. Operator consortium WACS (Cape Town to London) 2010. Operator consortium MaIN OnE (W. Africa to Portugal) 2010. Investors. Open access Phase 2: Luanda, Cape Town Cable Map: Thanks to Steve Song. http://www.manypossibilities.net

15. 3.Connectivity Intra-African Connectivity http://www.ubuntunet.net/fibre- map

16. 3 Connectivity AfricaConnect : linking to GÉANT, the EU Research and Education Network

17. 3 Connectivity From GÉANT: Academic Networking Worldwide

18. 3 Connectivity AfricaConnect Discussions in Cambridge, UK with Dante, Aug 2009

19. 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

20. 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.

21. 4 : Content

22. 4 Content Content Services and Lighthouse applications

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

24. 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

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

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

27. 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

28. 4. ContentApplications 1 st GRID training in eastern and southern Africa, KCN Nov 2008- potential e-health apps E-learning Digital Repositories

29. 4 Content LightHouse Applications: Magnetic Resonance Imaging Project, COM

30. 4 Content Magnetic Resonance Imaging Project 2 (COM, Malawi)

31. 5 : Communication

32. 5 : Communication: UbuntuNet-Connect2010, Johannesburg November 2010: Annual Conference and capacity building cluster

33. Section 5 Communication: NUANCE monthly e- newsletter

34. Acknowledgements Worldmapper.org http://www.worldmapper.org Worldmapper.org http://www.worldmapper.org http://www.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