Enhancing Smart University ICT University Community Services for Competitiveness

1. Enhancing Smart University ICT University Community Services for Competitiveness Presenting Author: Wilson OKAKA Authors: Wilson Okaka 1 and Catherine Wandera 2 Kyambogo University, Kampala, Uganda 1Email: nupap2000@yahoo.com 2 Email:cathywandera@gmail.com UbuntuNet-Connect 2018 Hotel Verde, 22-23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

2. Introduction – 1 of 2 • Effective and efficient institutional university community service delivery of quality education, research, and training are crucial for the achievement of the 2030 SDGs in African states • At the moment most African university lack minimum funding for a standard smart university service delivery of academic (education, teaching, research, and training), administrative, and management programmes due to low internal, national, sub regional, regional, international funding of ICT facilities. • University outreach activities are pivotal for showcasing the relevance of any university research, education, and training to the local communities, private sector industries, and civil society organizations. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

3. Introduction - 2 of 2 • Smart university campus promote outreach to demonstrate the relevance of university skills, teaching and research activities to the: local communities, industries, institutions, government, CSOs, local, and global development partners. • Universities need smart campus policies to coordinate, plan, develop, implement, monitor, evaluate, and communicate the effectiveness of all their outreaches for social, economic, environment, political, and legal benefits of all stakeholders. • Smart university campus can facilitate community outreach PPPs core actors: universities /their colleges, governments, CSOs, private sector, communities,students, and the media. • Smart campus idea has paid of dividends to universities. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

4. The Objectives • To present an overview of the current status of university community ICT policy services and strategic plan for a typical African university like Kyambogo University in Uganda; • To discuss the prospects and challenges of a smart university community services for academic staff productivity outputs (effectiveness and efficiency) as well as the quality students’ outputs outreach methodology and approaches in Africa; • To state the key actors for and enablers of effective university research outreach funding prospects in African universities; • To outline different methods of infusing outreach activities into university research and education curriculum funding options. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

5. Problem Statement • The concept of smart university campuses driven by ICT readiness could ease the key problems of effective institutional infrastructure services, connectivity issues, innovations, ICT operations, funding, public awareness of the benefits or prospects of smart campuses for intra and inter-African university collaboration networks for key PPPs stakeholders to enhance competitiveness, if used. • Although smart campuses promote PPPs, university community outreach, gender equality mainstreaming, 2030 SDGs, south-south, and north – south links that are critical for the strengthening of present and projected intra and inter– African networks, they are still elusive. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

6. Methodology • This review was conducted by analysis of East African Inter-University Council (IUCEA), African Institute for Capacity Building (ICAD), Uganda national Council for Higher Education policy strategy documents, current literature and news bulletins, online search engines, through discussion with key informants, documents from African governments. • This review involved policy analysis of various data sources from government documents in tandem with smart university campus, programme, research, curricula multiple disciplines or online courses. • Additional information was obtained from the internet using searches with a focus on smart campus terms. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

7. Results and discussion -1 of 4 • The current status of university community outreach ICT policy services and strategic plan for Kyambogo University is still a slow work-in-progress due to insufficient facilities; • Universities should set up ICT units; train technical staff; provide adequate funds for ICT institutional policy support; • There are benefits of training workshops for equipment maintenance and training to facilitate adequate use of ICT for teaching and research with technicians inclusive: • Promote institutional, inter-university, national, regional, and international networking for affordable bandwidths. • Development of institutional ICT policy and master plan should be participatory and interdisciplinary at all levels. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

8. Results and discussion - 2 of 4 • The prospects and challenges of a smart university network community services for academic staff productivity outputs for effectiveness and efficiency, quality students’ outputs, outreach methodology, and approaches are contingent upon university specific ICT readiness competitiveness status; • Most outreaches are still unconnected to target communities and have failed to bring ICT services to key beneficiaries. • Poor outreach ICT policy strategies affect donor confidence; • Low campus ICT readiness, poor research culture, too few ICT engineers and technicians hamper smart campus plans. • Smart campus competitiveness are limited by low funding, capacity, innovations, wrong approaches, and local funding. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

9. Results and discussion - 3 of 4 • There key actors or enablers of PPPs smart university community research outreach funding prospects for smart university campuses in Ugandan university campuses; • Households or families, role models, influential individuals; • Community, cultural and traditional, religious, political, civil society, business, decision-making, and institutional leaders • District administrative, government, and political leaders; • The government, national agencies, CSOs like NGOs, associations, organizations, and businesses / private sector; • Sub-regional organizations and regional agencies in Africa; • United Nations Organization /UN Specialized Agencies. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

10. Results and discussion - 4 of 4 • The various methods of infusing outreach activities into university research and education curriculum options are: • Regular postings on the official university website; • Regular internal competitive university research themes; • University curriculum or programme content for all courses; • Special students’ research, education, and training projects; • Regular university community media programmes; • Regular press updates and press (media) releases; • Infused into core university functions, values, gender equality mainstreaming, and community outreach activities; UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

11. Conclusions and recommendations • Smart campus capacity building be enhanced by effective policy marketing, technicians’ with modern skills, internet meetings, intra / inter-university interdisciplinary research, adaptive engineers, aligned with policies and 2030 SDGs. • We need targeted smart campus drives, gender equality mainstreaming, public awareness, motivations for active members, ICT readiness access, and volunteer promoters. • Effective smart campus should develop a communication strategy for internal and external clients, public awareness campaigns led by media advocacy, communication coordination and information sharing, aligning with policies and strategic plans as well as the use of social media too. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania

12. Acknowledgements • UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, 22 - 23 November 2018,, Ethiopia Conference Convenors, Coordinators, and Programme Planners, • Chief Guests, Keynote speakers, sponsors, and Development Partners; • Vice Chancellors, University Councils, Top Managements, Students, Technical, Support, and Administration Staff of Participating Institutions; • Ubuntu Net Alliance Secretariat Personnel & Conference Committees; • Session Chairpersons, Press, Rapporteurs, Presenters, and Exhibitors; • The Governments and the Public or People of the Participating States; • Hilton Addis Ababa Hotel Management, Technical, & Support staff; • A Special Tribute to Hastings Ndebvu, Beatrice Ng'ambi, Tiwonge Banda; for their Round-the- Clock Professional Commitment and the Current Landmark Success of this year’s UbuntuNet-Connect 2018 • May God Bless You All. Thank You Very Much for Your Kind Attention. UbuntuNet-Connect 2018, Hotel Verde, 22- 23 November 2018, Zanzibar, Tanzania