AfricaConnect2:A €26.6m Africa and European Union Internet project to transform African science and education

African research and education network associations WACREN, the UbuntuNet Alliance and ASREN have partnered with their European counterpart GÉANT in a €26.6m EU co-funded project to provide dedicated high-speed internet all over Africa.

This follows the success of the AfricaConnect project which contributed to the creation of a high-speed R&E network in Eastern and Southern Africa between 2011 and 2015.

AfricaConnect2 will develop high-capacity internet networks across the entire African continent and connect them to the European GÉANT network, allowing students, researchers and academics in Africa and beyond to collaborate. The connectivity boost will not only advance research and education locally with opportunities like e-learning and cloud computing, but it will equally benefit scientific studies the world over in areas such as climate change, biodiversity, food security, malaria and other infectious diseases.

Professor Jegede from the Department of Physics and Engineering Physics at the Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria explains: ‘’In my area of research I need access to climate data as well as regional climate models (RCMs) to be able to study different climate scenarios and train students to be able to do so. The AfricaConnect2 project opens up new vista supporting collaborative research across Africa and beyond through timely access to scientific data using high-speed Internet connectivity provided by NRENs. I am very excited to be part of the cooperative whereby acquired data is made available to the global scientific community and for training of postgraduate students in Africa.’’

A central part of the recently announced Africa-EU Partnership, AfricaConnect2 will fulfil both continents wish to connect research and education communities across borders and accelerate scientific breakthroughs.

“Science, technology and innovation figure high on the African and European agenda as means to attain socio-economic development objectives,’’ says Françoise Moreau, Head of Unit at the EC Directorate-General for Development and Cooperation (DG DEVCO). That is the reason why under the Joint Africa-EU Strategy, both continents have decided to deepen their cooperation to promote knowledge-and skills based societies and economies. The EU therefore welcomes the start of AfricaConnect 2, which will build upon the successes of AfricaConnect in improving scientific knowledge and will further reinforce cooperation between research communities of the two continents, for the benefits of all.”

Boubakar Barry, the CEO of West and Central African networking organisation, WACREN, points out: ‘’ AfricaConnect2 comes at a time when the demand for adequate bandwidth and network services from researchers, lecturers and students at West and Central African higher education and research institutions is extremely high. There is no doubt AfricaConnect2 will satisfy this demand and benefit the socio-economic landscape in the region.’’

AfricaConnect2 is due to finish by the end of 2018. The EU development co-operation funds contribute up to €20m, with the beneficiary partners bringing in the remaining €6.6m.

Read the rest of the project here.