1. African NREN Overview
Internet2 Fall Member Meeting Chicago, 4-7 November 2006
Boubakar Barry
Association of African Universities
Research and Education Networking Unit

2. Agenda About AAU AAU and R&E Networking Connectivity in Africa
Cost issues
Key challenges for R&E Networking in Africa
Established RENs
RENs in formation
Towards an AfREN - Opportunities

3. About AAU
Established in November 1967 in Rabat, Morocco. Based in Accra, Ghana
194 members, in all African sub-regions
General Conference once every 4 years, with election of the Board
Conference of Rectors, VCs and Presidents once every 2 years
Several programmes and services (QA, Mobility, Leadership and Management, HIV/AIDS, DATAD, Gender, R&E Netwg,...)

4. AAU and R&E Networking
11th General Conference in February 2005 in Cape Town, SA: four-year Core Programme approved
Prominent among other foci: support for the development if ICT for HE in Africa
Strong mandate to the Secretariat to assume focal point role for ICT initiatives
Focus on R&E Networking for improvement of access to information and knowledge

5. AAU and R&E Networking (cont'd)
Fact: with over 400 universities in 53 countries, there are less than a dozen active NRENs in Africa (mainly located in Northern and Southern Africa)
Since the 11th GC, several activities with AAU involvement:
Open Access Conference, Maputo, May 2005
Roundtable on “Progress and Challenges in Building NRENs in Africa”, Philadelphia, September 2005
Workshop on African REN, Geneva, Sept 2005

6. AAU and R&E Networking (cont'd)
Conference on African REN convened by AAU during the WSIS summit in Tunis, Nov. 2005
Call on AAU to take up the coordinating role of African REN initiatives
Need for AAU to set up an unit within the Secretariat
Commitment by donor community to support initiative
Workshop on REN during AfNOG 2006 in Nairobi, April (focus on campus networks and on strategy and policy issues)
Importance of the foundations (campus networks)
Importance of building consensus
Sub-regional approach
AfREN

7. AAU and R&E Networking (cont'd)
Where are we in this process?
With support of PHE in Africa and IDRC: set up of a REN Unit within AAU Secretariat
WP for the next 3 years in development
First activities of the unit:
MoU with AfNOG and AfriNIC for capacity development
Appointment of Advisory Panel members and first AP meeting
Regional Workshop on NREN, Accra, Nov 2006
Participation in relevant events (University Leaders' Forum, this meeting)
Identification of and contact with potential partners
AAU open to partnerships

8. Connectivity in Africa
Least connected continent
In most of the countries, incumbents rule over telecommunications market
Poor infrastructure except in few countries
Resources concentrated in major urban areas
Absence of or no implementation of ICT policies
Predominance of copper infrastructure on national backbones
Very few IXPs, leading to inefficient use of international bandwidth
Absence or weakness of regulatory bodies
etc.

9. Connectivity in Africa (cont'd)

10. Connectivity in Africa (cont'd)
Projects aimed to change this figure
SAT3 cable (full capacity: around 120 Gbps)
A set of several submarine cables
SEA-ME-WE 3 (40k km) which links Europe to Australia via Mediterranean Africa)
Atlantis 2 (12k km) linking Southern Europe to South America via Wet Africa (Senegal and Capo Verde)
SAFE (13.5k km) linking South Africa to Malaysia via Mauritius and Reunion Island
SAT/WASC which links Southern Europe to South Africa
SAT3 implemented
Problem: consortium with monopolistic pricing policy
“Monopoly” of consortium to end within the next months. New access and pricing policies? Role of regulatory bodies!

11. Connectivity in Africa (cont'd)
EASSy cable
Still in project phase
Different access policy than SAT3
Separation of shareholders' rights from access rights
Programme for connection of land-locked countries
Very promising project for East-African countries
BUT:
Big delays
Questions on if the project will be ever implemented
Dispute around ownership by NEPAD
Some stakeholders are already seeking for alternative solutions (KDN, Telkom Kenya)
The future?
Unused resources: dark fiber

12. Connectivity in Africa (cont'd)
Eastern Africa Submarine System
Toliary
Durban

13. Connectivity in Africa (cont'd)
Global Connectivity
SEA ME WE 3
SAT-3/WASC 20
SAFE
EAS Sy

14. Bandwidth cost issues
African bandwidth prices probably the highest in the world
Main reasons:
lack of competition
use of costly technologies (VSAT)
absence of or inappropriate regulatory frameworks
Medium bandwidth price in Africa: US$5,000 per 1 Mbps
Prices as high as over US$10,000+ per 1 Mbps
Efforts in some countries to apply lower tariffs for the Education sector; but prices still prohibitive
One of the short term solutions: (well thought) bandwidth consortia

15. Key challenges for R&E Networking in Africa
Awareness raising at the highest level (Vcs, Ministers, Heads of State) on the importance of R&E Networking for African development
Development of clear and coherent national ICT policies taking into account both regional issues and R&E specific needs
Regulatory environment
Power supply
Market environment disparity throughout the continent; need for harmonization
Human capacity development
Building a partnership framework involving all stakeholders and international partners

16. Established NRENs
Active RENs essentially established in Northern and Southern/Eastern Africa
Well established NRENs include:
TENET (South Africa)
KENET (Kenya)
MAREN (Malawi)
EUN (Egypt)
MARWAN (Morocco)
RNU (Tunesia)
CERIST (Algeria)
Most of other NRENs are in a more and less advanced stage of formation

17. NRENs in formation Several initiatives in all African regions
Most of the initiatives located in Southern/Eastern Africa (UbuntuNet momentum)
Most advanced intiatives:
MoRENet (Mozambique)
Rwandan NREN
TENET (Tanzania)
RENU (Uganda)

18. NRENs in formation (cont'd)
Recently, high activities in West and Central African countries
Quite promising initiatives in
Nigeria (Ng ICT Forum)
Possible launch during AfNOG 2007
Ghana (GARNET)
Formally launched on Nov 2006
Cameroon (RIC)
Embryo already exists
Senegal (RENER)
Ongoing consultations among stakeholders
Côte d'Ivoire

19. Regional initiatives
First regional initiative in Africa is the EUMEDConnect project
Links Mediterranean African countries with Europe through GEANT
Direct links from individual countries to GEANT
Now, over to interconnection between the countries
Other major initiative: UbuntuNet
Alliance of several Southern/Eastern African NRENs to interconnect and share bandwidth
Initially set up in order to benefit from the EASSy cable (as shareholder)

20. Regional initiatives (cont'd)
RESAO: initiative of Francophone universities as component of curricula reform process
Essentially West and Central Africa
Commitment at high level (Education Ministers and Vcs)
New initiative for West/Central Africa during the recent Accra NREN workshop
Task Force for follow up set up
Initiative want to build on ongoing RESAO initiative
BUT: first battle is at campus and national levels

21. Towards an AfREN - Opportunities
Despite the enormous challenges, real opportunities to move the African R&E Networking agenda forward
Awareness of the key players on the ground
Emergence of community at the continental level which shares the same vision
Begin of involvement of governments
Support from donor organizations
Support from the international REN community
Positive signals from the private sector
Key point now: to build a strong alliance with all these stakeholders and to not loose the momentum

22. THANK YOU ! Contacts: Boubakar Barry (barry@aau.org) renu@aau.org
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