Challenges of Building National Research & Education Networks in Africa

1. Challenges of Building National Research & Education Networks in Africa A Progress with the Nigeria ICT Forum of Partnership Institutions By Aminu Ibrahim Convenor

2. Africa’s Challenge is Nigeria The largest democracy in Africa weighs heavily in Africa on most counts, including: • Geography & Diversity • Population, human resources & exposure • Natural resources and potential • Number & diversity of Research & Education Institutions • Potential for regional, continental & global impact Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

3. Clear Indications of Major Impediments • From 1992 to 2004, there have been more than a dozen project efforts to create National networks in Nigeria. This list of projects to build NRENs is not exhaustive, and at least as many or more exist in the public sector: • Nigerian Universities Management Information System (NUMIS) • Nigerian Universities Network (NUNet) • Plytechnics Network (PolyNet) • Colleges of Education Network (TeachNet) • Nigerian Education and Research Network (a collaboration of NUNet, PolyNet and TeachNet) • National Virtual (Digital) Library Project (NVLP) • Nigerian Virtual Library Consortium (VLC) • National Information, Communication and Education Programme (NICEP) • Number of NREN attempts & National networking projects => number of Government agencies • National Committees to Harmonize the bewildering number of such projects have been established Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

4. Major Issues & Challenges • More than 30 years of authoritarian rule have resulted in: • Strictly top – down policy making, implementation & monitoring • substantial deterioration & degradation of: • Capacity of Institutions to plan, collaborate, innovate or even keep tabs on goings on • All classes of infrastructure and structures at institutional and national levels • Social Attitudes, trust & personal integrity, civil responsibilities, sense of community, collaboration • Not one of the dozens of NREN projects originated from the institutions themselves; most did not really take them in to account Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

5. The Nigeria ICT Forum of Partnership Institutions • The Forum was conceived just a year ago (9 Sept ’05) in Dar-es-Salaam, and is less than a month old (on 19 August 2005) as a legal entity. She is a not-for-profit NGO: a company limited by guarantee. • The conception of the Forum alone, has removed one of the greatest impediments to building an NREN in NG: It is the first collaborative project to be wholly initiated & owned directly by HEIs in more than 30 years. • In < 2 years of engagement, the PHE in Africa was able to facilitate the conception of a collaborative Forum. Why? • it couldn’t have been the grants per se – Govt./NUC have been giving much larger grants for > 40 years, & have been achieving opposite results. • Methodology, nature of activities of the PHE, etc. simply opened eyes & engendered a change in attitudes Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

6. The Mission of the Forum • To: develop the internal capacity of Nigerian higher education and research institutions to collaborate in the cultivation of a favourable policy environment, as well as the development, utilization, sustenance and advancement of their own ICT networks, services and shared resources, consistent with their proper role as foci for development. • It is a very healthy mission, but re-discovering & jealously guarding it will by itself be a challenging task Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

7. Aim of the Forum The Forum aims to: provide an opportunity and serve as platform for the six member institutions to organically foster the development of National Research & Education Network (NREN) in Nigeria, beginning with the initial member institutions, growing to include those willing, able & capable and their neighbourhoods Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

8. Objectives of the Forum 1. Help each other to build institutional capacity in Information & Communications Technology (ICT) for teaching & learning, research & community service; 2. Cooperate to take advantage of economy of scale in the development, procurement and utilization of resources, goods and services; 3. Develop and use ICTs to foster institutional collaboration among and between administrative and academic communities; 4. Share information, skills, resources and best-practices; 5. Encourage self-assessments by members and assist each other as peer-reviewers; 6. Undertake activities (including consultancy services, policy research & development, advocacy, training, etc.) that would cultivate the requisite environment for wider, sustainable collaboration and networking , beginning with our immediate and surrounding communities; 7. Assist each other to enhance our institutional capacities for networking, development and delivery of contents and services; 8. Cultivate and share effective and useful partnerships among and between member institutions, as well as with the private sector and other relevant institutions and agencies in Nigeria and the international community; • Undertake activities to facilitate members to serve as foci for sustainable development. Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

9. Institutional Membership & Staff Ms. Sekyen Lois Niyang (“Sekyen”) was appointed to serve as full-time Forum Project Officer a few days ago (9 Sept ’05). She will head the Abuja Secretariat of the Forum. Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

10. What Can a Single Org do? • Apparently, much more than what everyone thought! • Just by removing impediments, the Forum allows focus to address long existing challenges, and these are many. Even without grants. • Consider: even without a budget, • The Forum has organized meetings, used economy of scale to workshops on issues of concern to all • Institutional Collaboration is emerging: Bursary Dept of Univ. of Ibadan will offer ICT capacity-building & financial management training to ABU, Zaria • Forum is already discussing a partnership with one of the two National Carriers to interconnect members on a national fibre backbone: a NG NREN is already Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

11. Forum Policy Arm • Forum will pursue bridging of policy gaps at institutional and systemic levels, through: • Policy Research & Advocacy • Sharing of alerts and best-practices • Using numbers and influence of member institutions, and plug in to their larger groupings • Building strategic alliances with others • Organizing an Annual National Conf on ICTs and Education, with all parties present & discussing the main issues Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN

12. Forum Capacity-Building Strategies • Strategic activities aimed to reduce training costs, improve quality of & effectiveness of training & cultivate confidence by adding value • The Nigerian Operators Group Workshops (NGNOGs) will be customized AFNOGs with an HEI bent • Special Forum Workshops will be organized to address identified special areas of capacity-building needs, using the best resources obtainable • Capacity building alliances, linkages and partnerships will be forged with relevant firms, local and international agencies, networks, and other platforms & sources of help. Progress in Building a Nigeria NREN