ABSTRACTS

------

ENHANCING INTERNET ACCESS AND EXCHANGE OF AGRICULTURAL INFORMATION IN KENYA: the case of Kenya Agricultural Research Institute.

Boniface AKUKU

Assistant Director, Information Management Communication Technology, Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), Nairobi, Kenya.

In Kenya agriculture is the mainstay of the economy; the sector contributes 26% of the GDP directly, therefore the demand for appropriate agricultural information is daunting. Yet Public science and technology information is not easily or widely accessible. Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) is the main agricultural research institute in Kenya with 33 centres and over 500 scientists throughout the country. The institute generates agricultural information in all the thematic areas however the information generated is not easily accessible. In several cases most of the scientific grey literatures are found in library shelves, scientists’ locks, computers, flash disks and heads. Given its mandate, capacity and position in Kenya, KARI collaborates with several partners, it is the national and regional focal point for most agricultural activities to implement Kenya Agricultural Information Network (KAINet) to facilitate information access and exchange within Kenya.

------

STRATEGY TO IMPROVE INTERNET ACCESS IN HIGHER INSTITUTIONS: UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS EXPERIENCE.

Larry L.N. AMAESHI1, and C.O. UWADIA2

1. Department of Physics, University of Lagos, (UNILAG) Akoka, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria

2. Department of Computer Science, UNILAG; & Director, Center for Communication and Information Technology Systems, CITS, UNILAG. ;

The role of a university is mainly to be at the vanguard of advancing human civilization, to wit, ensuring a healthy, prosperous and egalitarian society where man is in harmony with nature. This seemingly tall order is achieved through the implementation of the three cardinal planks of its academia, namely: teaching, research and community service. Through cognate curriculum, and teaching paradigm, the university would produce men and women with: (i) sound mind and philosophy to pilot the affairs of the state; (ii) technical and managerial skills to drive the industry and economy, thus produce the essential goods and services necessary for the industrial and economic wellbeing of the citizens; (iii) the knowledge to impact positively on future generations. Through research, at both institutional level and collaborative level with industry, advances are made in science, technology, medicine, social and managerial engineering, etc; and in effect innovations, and more efficient ways of doing things are developed. Through collaborative work between the university and industry research findings are translated into goods and services. And through community service any misgivings that might arise between ‘town and gown’ is drastically reduced, with the society feeling the positive impact of the university. The above roles may be universal in principle but in practice may be local-factor(s) dependent. Thus, at any given epoch the university has been faced with the problem of the best ways and means of meeting these challenges facing its essence. The situation is more pertinent today, when we live in a very competitive, knowledge and information driven globalized society; especially for universities indeed, tertiary institutions, in developing countries, Nigeria included. This society to a very large extent is connected by the INTERNET, that invaluable ubiquitous knowledge and information resource and resource base. The availability of the Internet offers a new paradigm for teaching, learning, research and communication via information sharing, indeed communication services, hence it offers the university a contemporary platform of meeting its responsibilities. However, before this resource, the Internet, can be exploited it must be accessed. This requires putting in place the necessary infrastructure, and having the necessary personnel. In this paper we discuss a strategy developed at University of Lagos, Lagos Nigeria to improve Internet Access in higher (tertiary) institutions; and being implemented at the University to facilitate and make more efficient: (i) teaching, learning and research; (ii) Management planning and decision making; (iii) general administration including students’ and staff records at University, Faculty/College, Department and Unit levels; (iv) social interactions; and (v) webometricvisibility.The paper discusses in particular the necessary infrastructure put in place, human capacity building, bandwidth sourcing and management, and the Internet Policy put in place to ensure that the resources are not abused. It also discusses the integration of our infrastructure and resources with those of other higher institutions in the Lagos area, to form what is known as the Eko-Konnect Project, in which our university is a node in a metropolitan area network, which is effectively a local cluster of NREN: Nigerian Research and Education Network.

------

INTERNET ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A NEW PARADIGM FOR INTERNET PENETRATION IN AFRICA

Victor CHUKWUMA

Department of Physics,Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago Iwoye, Nigeria

The concept of this paperis based on the hypothesis that internet penetration in Nigeria and by implication most of Africa is driven almost solely by a new class of entrepreneurs, and the future of the internet in Africa will depend on the growth of this clan.

------

A COMMON CLOUD COMPUTING ADOPTION FRAMEWORK FOR PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES IN KENYA

Obadiah Matolo MUSAU1& Geoffrey MUCHIRI2

1. Dept Computer Science, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya, ;

2. Dept. Computer Science Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya.

The Cloud computing phenomenon is a new way of provisioning Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services from a cloud computing service providers. The ICT environment in which universities operate is quite dynamic and inorder to keep abreast with the ever changing technology, it is important to adopt technology that allows flexibility and scalability. Cloud computing not only speaks to a changing ICT environment but equally answers to new expectations from the market, cloud computing provides for alternative models to sourcing of ICT services and ensuring responsible delivery of the same. Successful implementation of cloud computing requires appropriate tools that put into consideration the stakeholders expectations. This paper proposes the development of a common cloud computing adoption framework in Kenya with specific interest in public universities. The study will also explore the key accelerators and impediments to the adoption of the proposed framework from research case studies.

------

EUROPEAN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECTS AND AFRICA. INTERNET AND NREN DEVELOPMENTS IN RC, DRC, AND CAMEROUN.

Monique PETITDIDIER

Laboratoire Atmosphères, Milieux, Observations Spatiales, Institut Pierre-Simon Laplace, Vélizy, France

This presentation will cover Internet and NREN developments in Congo Brazzaville (RC), Congo Kinshasa (RDC) and Cameroon. It will also give some overview about some European infrastructure projects relevant to Africa, highlighting the synergy between development of research and internet and then the need for various computer resources.

------

MOZAMBIQUE: DEVELOPMENT OF INTERNET COVERAGE

Macamo, Alberto Julião MACAMOand Francisco MABILA

Mozambique has one of the least-developed Internet coverage of Africa, despite having been the continent's third country to adhere to the use of information and communication technologies. A research on the use and access to information and communication technologies of the "African e-Index" held some years in 14 African countries, points out that Mozambique has the lowest had a teledensity of the region.

------

PINGER MEASUREMENT OF INTERNET PERFORMANCE

Les COTTRELL

Using PingER measurements going back to 1998 and covering 168 countries, this talk will illustrate, via various metrics, Internet performance worldwide with a particular focus on Africa. It will illustrate the impact of the recently installed submarine fibre optic cables around the West and East Coasts of Africa, as they replace geostationary satellites. It will then look at what the near future may bring to Internet performance including the impact of: new submarine cables; intra Africa fibre optic cables; medium earth orbiting satellites; and the demands of science.

------

INTERNET CONNECTIVITY PROGRESS IN THE ETHIOPIAN HIGHER EDUCATION AND RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS

Alem Mebrahtu

Adigrat University, Department of Physics, Adigrat Ethiopia,

Few years back Internet connectivity in higher education and research institutions in Ethiopia was highly limited. However, since recently there is a tremendous improvement in the Internet connectivity in the Ethiopian higher education and research institutions. Currently these institutions have reasonably good Internet access. The main driving force for this rapid improvement in connectivity, like in most sectors in the country, is the undeterred commitment of the Ethiopian government. To give one very recent and concrete example, through a new project, the government is currently working to connect all the 33 government and public universities so that they will be able to share their resources easily.

------

KANGARU SCHOOL INTERNET DEPARTMENT

Phinhas Murithi Kobia

P.O.Box 17, Embu, Tel: 068-31511,

Kangaru School is a provincial (Government) school founded in 1947 on 85.5 acres of land beside the Nairobi-Meru road about 3km from Embu town. It is in Mbeti location, Embu West District. The 950 male students come from all over the Province and country.

Being a D.E.B-sponsored school, the majority of the student benefit from government funding. Many students are sponsored by friends of the school, including Equity Bank, Barclays Bank, Co-operative banks; Jomo Kenyatta Foundation, Churches, NGOs, and the CDF kitty. The attendance rate averages 90%. There are five streams with 20 classrooms, 7 dormitories, four science laboratories, one computer laboratory, a library, a modern multipurpose hall, a dining hall complex, and a farm for growing food.

ICT is a major component that any institution needs to invest in for the better service delivery. It has been a big problem for institutions to invest in the ICT though. Despite numerous calls by education stakeholders and shareholders to implement, there have been major drawbacks. Many think that ICT is a secondary item, but as the time goes by it is now evident that it is becoming a primary item and many learning institutions in Kenya are now spending a lot of money to invest in ICT. However, in the majority of schools, ICT remains a dream. Many schools do not have a computer even for the secretary and are still using typewriters. It is also regrettable that many school teachers do not know how to operate a computer. This has made Kenya quest for the penetration of the ICT be a tight pipe.

Kangaru School though is the ICT leading public school in Eastern, but still more need to be done for the school to fully embrace ICT for learning. The school has a few ICT facilities which it utilizes well in teaching. Computer studies subject is taught from form one to form four. Because of the limited number of computers, only a few students are allowed to choose ICT when they reach form two second term for the K.C.S.E (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Examination). Below is the list of ICT facilities the school has:

  • Students’ computer laboratory with 20 working computers.
  • Smart board and a projector.
  • A fixed Internet Service both wired and wireless.
  • School website. “kangaruschool.sc.ke”.
  • A local Network of 5 computers.
  • Two bulky online SMS programs.
  • A timetable program.
  • Students’ examination analysis system.
  • Mobile note taker Smart pen device.
  • Digital contents (Kenya Institute of Education e-learning materials) for all subjects taught.
  • Printing section with latest printing machine.

These are just a few of the ICT facilities that the school has managed to have. The school aim is to invest more on the ICT so that it will help the ready to learn teachers to adapt to the ICT technology to deliver the content easily to the student. The school has for many years depended on the well-wishers to expand the ICT department. The school holds a national mathematics, science and ICT contests every year. A number of companies such Safaricom, Longhorn Publishers, Banks, Universities sponsors such contests, hence enabling the school to get money to fund projects and ICT has been the major beneficiary. Other stakeholders and shareholders donates computers, it is just recently when an old student passed by and donated three computers which boosted the students’ laboratory hence making it easier for them to take their final computer practical exam.

The school has rolled out plans for further expansion of the ICT department, hence making it a complete autonomous. The following year, hoping that funds will be available the school plans to accomplish the following:

  • Expand it local network to connect all 12 school departments
  • Installation of a larger router for the above
  • Expand the students’ computer laboratory to enable more students take the subject
  • Establish a computer research station within the school library for students
  • Establish a computer resource centre section within the staffroom for the teachers
  • Install a financial management system in the accounts department
  • Launch a science and innovation club intended purposely for students’ research in ICT, sciences and mathematics.

To raise funds to implement the above, the school wishes all well-wishers to come aboard and help. The ICT department is planning a major ICT contest where, for the first time ever, will not have printed question papers. The contest will be aimed at showing the participants the best way to use technology in testing and managing time in exams and hence saving both costs and time. Currently, the department is drafting up the proposal which it will use to source for sponsor.

A core values of Kangaru School is Innovation. This can only be achieved if it completely embraces ICT and provides a better environment for both teachers and learners. The school is working very hard to accomplish its objectives and goals despite its limited resources.

------