A survey of investment in education and research networking in Africa
by development agencies and other organisations
Summary
Prepared by Kate Wild
for the International Development Research Centre - Connectivity Africa – Promotion of
African Research and Education Network Program (PAREN) program
August 2005
The author wishes to thank all those who responded to e-mails and phone calls in order to contribute
information to this report. Any errors or omissions are the sole responsibility of the author
1. Purpose of the study
This investment study was commissioned by IDRC as part of its program to promote education and
research networking in Africa (PAREN).
It complements earlier IDRC work that identified research and education networking initiatives in
Africa and models on which they might draw. The network study1 concluded that connectivity in
tertiary institutions in Africa is expensive and totally inadequate to meet basic education and research
requirements. It concluded, however, that new initiatives in the region could bring about a landscape in
which sufficient bandwidth would be available to enable African universities to exchange information
and data among themselves and to contribute to and draw from global developments in education,
research, science and technology.
This present study is intended to identify external partners working with African institutions to achieve
those ends.
The full report is available at: http://www.connectivityafrica.ca/page.php?Documents.html.
2. Methodology
The terms of reference called for a profile of organisations contributing to education and research
networking in Africa and a measure of the extent of their contribution in relation to:
 bandwidth subsidies;
 national research networks; and
 regional research networks.
The profiles were developed through a combination of web research, phone interviews and e-mail
exchanges conducted mainly in a six week period in March and April 2005.
Many organisations were examined, with the most relevant multilateral organisations, donors,
foundations, academic and non-governmental organisations and businesses included in the report.
Organisations providing content and technical training and support are covered as well as those
focused mainly on connectivity.
Initiatives that may have a bearing on future networking possibilities – the most visible of which is the
Africa Commission – have also been included.
Since the research work was completed a number of programs have advanced substantially and new
ones have emerged. Examples of the former include the India-Africa Partnership Project and the
ITU/UNU collaboration on AFUNet (African Universities Network) supported by a feasibility grant
from NORAD. CERN – not included in the study – is now taking an active role in stimulating debate
prior to the Tunis session of WSIS. DFID is launching a major new content initiative entitled Research
Africa.
1
Promoting African Research and Education Networking, A study sponsored by IDRC, Steiner et al, January 2005
The report that is summarized here therefore needs to be seen as a picture, at a particular time, of an
ongoing process.
3. Coverage
The study combines a compilation of profiles of organisations and initiatives with analysis of what
they bring to plans for building a more effective networking environment within the relatively short
term. The analysis is intended to lay the foundation for future joint action to expand bandwidth access.
Many of the organisations profiled here are bilateral or multilateral development organisations,
foundations or multinational companies based outside Africa. Others are key African stakeholders
whose commitment will determine the success of the bandwidth enterprise within the African research
and education community.
Information is provided on over 60 programs or organisations.
Section in Report
Organisation or program
website
3. The Africa Commission
4. Organisations involved in current
consortium
Commission for Africa
African Association of Universities
www.commissionforafrica.org
www.aau.org
Partnership for Higher Education in
Africa
African Virtual University
World Bank
www.foundation-partnership.org
5. Multilateral Organisations
6. Bilateral Development Agencies
7. The European Union
8. La Francophonie
UNESCO
ITU and UNU
NEPAD
African Development Bank
SIDA/SAREC
Swedish Program for ICT in
Developing Regions (SPIDER)
USAID
DFID
NORAD
DANIDA
CIDA
IDRC
NUFFIC
IICD
Italy
GTZ
InWent
Geant
Dante
EUMEDConnect
AIF
www.avu.org
www.gdln.org
http://info.worldbank.org/ict
www.infodev.org
www.unesco.org
www.itu.int/wsis/docs2/
www.eafricacommission.org
www.afdb.org
www.sida.se
www.spidercenter.org
www.nettelafrica.org
www.aascu.org
www.dot-edu.org
www.dfid.gov.uk
www.norad.org
www.danida.dk
www.acdi-cida.gc.ca
www.idrc.ca
www.nuffic.net
www.iicd.org
www.innovazione.gov.it/ita
www.gtz.de/en/
www.InWent.org
www.geant.net
www.dante.net
www.eumedconnect.net
www.agence.francophnie.org
9. Infrastructure Projects
10. Content Providers
11. Research Networks
12. Technical Capacity
13. Private Sector
14. Global Scientific Collaboration
15. Other Initiatives
AUF
INTIF
SIST
AFD
Intelsat
Inmarsat
New Skies
PanAmSat
RascomStar
IEEAF
Nectarnet
ORASCOM
COMTEL
EASSy
Fiber Africa proposal
WHO
FAO
INASP
eIFL
JSTOR
MIMCom Net
AIMS
SARUA
NSRC
WiderNet
CISCO
Geo International
Global VSAT Forum
HP
NSF
Internet2
MSI - SIG
GUS
NMI
Ibaud
Nethope
www.auf.org
http://intif.francophonie.org
www.sist-sciencesdev.net
www.afd.fr
www.intelsat.com
www.inmarsat.com
www.newskies.com
www.panamsat.com
www.rascomstar.com
www.ieeaf.org
www.nectarnet.org
www.otelecom.com
www.comesa.int/ict/projects
http://eassy.org
tongia@cmu.edu
www.who.int
www.fao.org
www.inasp.info
www.eifl.net
www.jstor.org
www.nlm.nih.gov/mimcom
www.aims.ac.za
www.sauvca.org.za/sarua/
www.nsrc.org
www.widernet.org
www.cisco.com
www.geointernational.net
www.gvf.org
www.hp.com
www.nsf.gov/cise
http://international.internet2.edu
www.msi-sig.org
utsumi@columbia.edu
http://www.nmiscience.org/
www.ibaud.org
www.nethope.org
4. Analysis of findings
The analysis aims to:
 identify challenges facing development partners as they confront networking issues;
 provide an overview of who is contributing what and where in terms of:
o connectivity;
o capacity building;
o content;
o national networks; and
o regional networks; and
 recommend approaches to framing the next phase of debate on education and research
networking in Africa.
4.1 Development Challenges
The meaning of national research and education networks in Africa
Access to high speed, high quality bandwidth in African universities will be an increasingly important
component of both African and global science. But it may need to be balanced, for some time to come,
against the need of student and teaching populations in universities and research centres, in rural as
well as urban areas, for functional levels of connectivity. The concept of closed networks dedicated to
scientific endeavour which underpins national research networks in the north (NRENs) may not prevail
in Africa for some time.
A relatively small number of core donors but many interested ones
Few development organisations have a substantial commitment to funding bandwidth programs within
universities. The core donor community includes the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, the
Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie and SIDA/SAREC. Although in the case of SIDA/SAREC it
is difficult to identify precise connectivity investments both the Partnership and AUF plan to invest
more than $1 million annually in connectivity as part of broader programs to support university reform.
While important players, these are by no means the only players on the stage. Many others,
organisations mentioned in this report ( the World Bank, OSISA, WHO/HINARI, etc), and probably
some left out, fund connectivity as a tool to support their knowledge-based programs.
The diversity of donors with varied agendas has led some national partners to call for
collaboration among international development partners:
 at the regional level to share information and rationalize resources;
 at the national level to collaborate on specific projects; and
 to minimise duplication of efforts at all levels.
more
Mainstreaming
Enhanced connectivity for the tertiary sector may not be seen as a priority within ICT programs that
have been integrated into core development sectors to support the achievement of the MDGs..
But access to higher levels of bandwidth is a mainstream requirement of the tertiary sector which itself
is a strategic instrument of national science and technology policy. There is room for elaborating the
bandwidth case in the context of education and research, science and technology and national
development goals.
A variety of models
Many satellites circle Africa and fiber cables surround all but the East coast of the continent. Arguably
Africa is well connected now to the rest of the world. Connectivity within the region is more
problematic.
Debates - about the relative merits of satellite and fiber and the priority of linking to the external world
or networking within the region - will ensure that there is no single right model. They argue in favour
of flexible project design so that programs can be interconnected as technical and commercial
circumstances evolve.
A Pan-African approach?
Connectivity in tertiary institutions was addressed initially on a country by country basis. Now
geographic (SARUA) and interest-based (AUF) programs are emerging.
While there is not likely to be a single education and research networking model for the continent there
is value in comparing experiences, linking sub-regional networks and seeking opportunities to
aggregate demand where it makes sense to do so. Defining what constitutes a constructive program in
support of a continental framework is the next challenge.
4.2 A regional overview of programs
The following 12 programs were used as sample through which to assess the geographic spread of
connectivity programs in the region:
 African Virtual University – AVU has transformed itself from a World Bank project to an
inter-governmental organisation with 34 learning centres in 20 countries.
 World Bank’s Global Development Learning Network – GDLN networks learning
institutions to promote knowledge sharing, training and consultation on development topics.
 CISCO Networking Academies – CISCO has programs in 40 countries in Africa to teach
networking and other information technology related skills.
 The Partnership for Higher Education in Africa brings together the Carnegie, Ford,
MacArthur and Rockefeller Foundations to assist with the renaissance of higher education in
Africa inter alia through enhanced ICTs skills and connectivity.
 SIDA funds, often through its research arm SAREC or the university-based Swedish Program
for ICT in Developing regions, the deployment of ICTs in universities, including connectivity.
 MIMCom is the communication arm of the Malaria Research Network established to meet
scientists’ needs for e-mail and fast communications in the early Internet days;
 WiderNet is a program based at the University of Iowa to improve educational networking
mainly in Africa and support access to content through the eGranary Digital Library.
 NetTel Africa is a public/private capacity building alliance linking regulators and universities
in Africa and the US.
 EUMEDConnect is an EU project to network R&E communities of the Mediterranean
including North Africa with 3500 European establishments served by Geant.
 AUF promotes the creation and circulation of French-language scientific knowledge inter alia
through the integration of ICTs in higher education and the establishment of a network of
campus numeriques.
 SIST is a program of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to build a system for scientific and
technical information in Africa.
 INASP works with partners globally to strengthen local capacities to produce, manage, access
and use scientific information and knowledge.
In six countries – and for different reasons - there is no discernible presence of connectivtiy programs:
Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sudan. Programs tend to cluster
in a few countries..
Number of programs
9
8
7
6
5
0
countries
Uganda, Tanzania
Mozambique
Ghana
Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Senegal
Mali, Cote d’Ivoire
Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Libya, Mauritius, Seychelles, Sudan
The broad brush geographic picture shows concentrations of activities in support of education and
research networking in ten countries of the 53 in the region: Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique are at the
top of the list with substantial presence also in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Mali
and Cote d’Ivoire.
A number of countries, and institutions based outside metropolitan areas generally, are virtually
untouched by the advance of externally-funded programs to support connectivity.
4.3 Connectivity
The table below shows what the study has been able to establish about subsidized bandwidth. It
illustrates different approaches.
WBGDLN
Algeria
Benin
384kbps
Burkina
384
Faso
– planned
Ouaga
Bobo-D
Burundi
Cameroon
Chad
DRC
Cote
384
d’Ivoire
Egypt
384
Ethiopia
384
AUF
CN
SIDA
HINARI PHE
planned
EUMED
Geant
AVU
155mbps
256k
128/64kbps
128/64
512k
128k
128/64
256k
512/128k
256k
256k
45mbps
?
?
Gabon
Ghana
Kenya
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Senegal
South Africa
Swaziland
Tanzania
Tunisia
Uganda
2mbps
384
negotiation
CC: 512/128
GIMPA:
256/128
384/96
?
512kbps
128/64
128/64
384
34mbps
384
384
1mbps?
negotiation
128/64
negotiation
384
128/64
SaintLouis:128/64
UCAD:
128/64
2mbps
Geant
384
1mbps?
negotiation
384
?
negotiation
45mbps
The Partnership for Higher Education has a long term commitment to expanded bandwidth for
universities in the five countries with which it works. The program has been ongoing for close to five
years – it has involved strong links with both university management and technical staff and a
significant capacity building effort. More importantly perhaps it has committed funds (approximately
$4.6 million) into the future to develop and implement bandwidth pooling and management programs.
The Partnership member universities have opted for a satellite solution. While the bandwidth
agreement that is presently being negotiated covers only five countries more may be included in the
next phase.
The Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie works in 15 Francophone African countries to develop
digital campuses (10) or information centres; the ten digital campuses are intended to stimulate
national networking, content sharing and connectivity. The quantities of connectivity are relatively
modest but the program is broad-based. Connectivity is provided through local ISPs – satellite
solutions are considered only when no other options are available. Connectivity and related staff costs
within the universities are covered through AUF’s operational budget at a level of approximately 1.3
million euros annually. Training and other program activities are funded as projects also by AUF.
The World Bank’s Global Development Learning Network covers 12 countries – connectivity is
delivered through the Bank’s own network. Emphasis is on the local development of services that
deliver the benefits of connectivity – collaborative learning and a wide variety of national, regional
and global consultations - rather than on building networking skills per se.
AVU, funded initially by the World Bank and now by a number of development agencies, supports
connectivity in the distance learning centres through which it delivers its programs in member
universities.
EUMED Connect provides substantial connectivity to four countries in North Africa that border on the
Mediterranean. Of all the programs discussed in this report EUMED is the closest to connecting
African countries into the global research network.
SIDA and HINARI provide connectivity in countries where it is important to the delivery of other
programs. In the case of SIDA connectivity is significant and intended to support university wide
education, research and collaboration goals. In the case of HINARI connectivity support is limited to
providing small amounts of bandwidth to facilitate access to information tools.
Like a number of bilateral aid agencies, USAID does not generally support connectivity but does so on
occasion where it is a requisite of nationally developed strategies. Namibia and Uganda are examples
where connectivity is provided to teacher training institutions in the context of its dot-EDU program.
These different models for the provision of connectivity reflect the different program goals of
development organisations.
4.4 Capacity
Almost all the programs identified involve capacity building. The main difference is between the
majority of programs that build networking skills in the context of their own programs and the few
organisations that make their services available to build networking capacity in support of a broad
range of African initiatives.
The SIDA/SAREC approach to training is comprehensive in coverage but focused on few universities:
it includes practical programs that join Swedish experts with local teams to implement solutions to
local problems; professional training in Swedish universities; and ICT research through sandwich
programs at the graduate level. SIDA is committed to exploring open e-learning environments for
networking and ICT training.
The Partnership for Higher Education has initiated workshops and research projects designed both to
expand capacity and to move the connectivity agenda forward through collaboration among the
African partner universities.
EUMEDConnect offers a mix of formal training programs for network engineers and the facilitation of
study tours and participation in seminars and conferences to stimulate networking among individuals.
AUF offers national and regional workshops on various aspects of the application of ICTs in a
university environment: network and system administration; design and implementation of
information systems, web publishing, research and multi-media; and education technologies – the
capacity building activities of both AUF and SIST have a strong content development and
dissemination component. GTZ is also active in this area.
Not surprisingly the content providers provide training on how to use their own resources but some
also have broader focus on building capacities to access, produce, process and disseminate information
– HINARI and INASP are examples. INASP has also developed methodological tools for bandwidth
management and will continue to be involved in building capacities in this area.
The Network Startup Resource Center is specifically focused on capacity building through training
programs, technical assistance and trouble shooting. It has been a strong contributor to the training
workshops run first by ISOC and increasingly by the African Network Operators Group (AFNOG).
More coordination of networking training could establish good practice, fill gaps in coverage and help
ensure that sufficient African capacity is available to meet expanding needs.
4.5 Content
Most of the content initiatives have dual objectives of facilitating access by African researchers,
educators and students to the body of scientific knowledge which is now electronically at the fingertips
of academics in the North and processing and disseminating knowledge generated in Africa. The
Francophone initiatives – AUF and SIST – are particularly focused on building and disseminating local
knowledge.
Some services offer broad subject coverage – INASP, eIFL, JSTOR – and work through national and
university libraries; some cover specific sectors (HINARI for health and reproduction, AGORA for
agriculture) and work also through specialized facilities: medical and nursing schools, tropical disease
research centres, national departments of health and agriculture. Because of their longstanding
relationships with specialized libraries and information centres, sometimes outside major metropolitan
areas, they can be a useful source of information and contacts about research and data initiatives
relevant to core health and rural livelihood issues.
The content services are important partners in making the case for bandwidth from a user perspective.
4.6 National networking
Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia in the North; Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, South Africa and
Tanzania in sub-Saharan Africa provide examples of African national education and research
networks.
The closest approximation to northern models exists in North Africa as a result of EUMEDConnect’s
activities in Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Progress has not been as fast as intended partly
because the package of measures incorporated in the EUMED program (applications and regulatory
reform as well as connectivity) could not all be delivered simultaneously. But NREN nuclei are in
place and will expand during the next phase of the project.
The gradual evolution of national networks is central to the AUF campus numeriques program; the
campuses work with universities to build ICT capacity and infrastructure to facilitate cooperative
programs and information sharing nationally. The SIST program of the French government also works
through national committees which include universities and research centres. SIST and AUF
coordinate their programs at the national level.
TENET – linked to GEANT - in South Africa is the only broadband NREN in sub-Saharan Africa.
KENET (the Kenyan Education Network) – originally supported in 1999 by the US AID’s Leland
Initiative but now operating independently – provides training and discounted access via leased lines
and dial-up facilities to over 30 academic institutions in the country.
A number of donors are supporting networking in Nigeria. Six Nigerian universities are members of
the Partnership consortium. The Carnegie and MacArthur Foundations are working specifically on a
national bandwidth capacity building network which will focus first on technical and management
issues then on policy. SIST is working in Nigeria to develop skills related to information processing
and access. WiderNet also has programs in a number of Nigerian universities to build Internet
connectivity and capacities.
MaLICO has very strong local roots within a consortium of Malawi university libraries which
developed the network as a tool to improve access to electronic information resources. MaLICO was
developed with only a small amount of start-up support from OSISA but is now operating
independently. It is the only African example of a library-driven network which serves NREN goals.
This varied pattern conforms to the view on African NRENs expressed by the manager of South
Africa’s TENET: NRENs in Africa do not focus only on the needs for high quality, high volume
bandwidth but on the more mundane needs of students and teachers to connect with a wider world.
4.7 Regional networks
There is a host of regional networks – falling outside the purview of this study - that could take
advantage of improved bandwidth infrastructure on a regional basis if it were available. These include
CODESRIA – the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, AERC – the
African Economic Research Consortium and RIA – Research ICT Africa.
Many of the programs described here have coordinating centres or focal points in countries of the
region forming networks of common interest which would similarly benefit, as would the regional
economic coordination organisations (ECOWAS, COMESA, SADC, IGAD).
MIMCom and NetTel are subject focused networks which recognize the strategic importance of
connectivity to the success of their substantive agenda – and the African Mathematics Network, while
only in the planning stage, shares this view.
Through EUMEDConnect the North African countries (with the exception of Libya) are linked
functionally within a regional network to all Mediterranean countries.
The proposal developed by SARUA (the Southern Africa Regional Universities Association) for a
regional network covering universities in SADC countries could – if it materializes - provide a model
for other sub-regional networks. TENET in South Africa is an important asset in the sub-region that is
so far lacking elsewhere.
4.8 The next phase
Some lessons exist from which principles can be drawn to govern future bandwidth programs:
 African education and research networking may be driven, at least in an initial phase, more by
the need for bandwidth for all tertiary education operations than by the need for secure, closed
research networks on the model of northern NRENs.
 Network infrastructure requirements must be located firmly within the higher education and
research agenda – linked to national science and technology and development goals – as well as
to the program requirements of individual universities.
 Senior university management as well as IT leaders must be part of the debate on network and
bandwidth requirements.
 More collaboration among donors can help produce a wider geographic spread among
programs and facilitate comprehensive capacity building strategies as well as minimize
duplication and highlight good practice.
 Development organisations need to recognise that long term planning cycles are required and
that resources need to be committed independently of the particular technical solutions that
emerge.
 Program design needs flexibility to adapt to new infrastructure options (technical and
commercial) as they emerge.
 Synchronizing regulatory reform, applications, content and capacity building with the provision
of expanded bandwidth will help promote the use of the newly available resources.
The goal of the next phase should be to build support broadly within the region and among external
partners by:
 engaging policy makers within the science and technology, communication and education
communities; and
 multiplying and connecting national and sub-regional programs on the ground.
Any new continent-wide bandwidth program may want to consider the following actions to facilitate
identification of opportunities and expand support.






Maintaining a watching brief with respect to discussions on the higher education
recommendations of the Africa Commission Report – through the AAU;
Monitoring relevant global initiatives – Global University System, Nelson Mandela Institute
MSI, etc;
Establishing links with the higher education program in UNESCO through the African
Regional Scientific Committee of the Forum on Higher Education or through the Working
Group on Higher Education;
Engaging La Francophonie through the AUF;
Seeking common ground with NEPAD;
Opening discussion with key African research networks to establish their needs for expanded
bandwidth;


Involving a few key private sector representatives – perhaps from Geo and CISCO – to try to
identify concrete contributions in support of regionally defined initiatives;
Reinforcing the content angle by incorporating WHO as the representative of HINARI and
AGORA – two key development sectors where African research and education will make a
contribution in the context of the Millennium Development Goals.
Several strands of program activity (advocacy; technology; capacity building; local and international
content) will be needed to construct a firm foundation for broad expansion of education and research
networking throughout the region.