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Browsing Articles by Author "Dekkar, Leila"
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Item AfricaConnect3: Connecting Africa to Unlimited possibilities(AfricaConnect3, 2021) Dekkar, Leila; Fiore, SilviaDespite the availability of infrastructures having significantly progressed over the recent years, tertiary education and research institutions in Africa are still among the least connected in the academic world, a situation that is particularly critical for landlocked countries. In this context, the AfricaConnect3 project strives to establish secure, adequate, and affordable network infrastructures and offers dedicated services to African National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), as well as builds adequate human resource capacities and expertise within the community and raises the awareness of the role of digital transformation for research and education (R&E). This paper aims to present the achievements and impact of AfricaConnect3 on African R&E communities, as well as advocating for NRENs, by detailing the activities implemented and services offered to R&E institutions in Africa. Finally, this paper addresses the need for NRENs to be better represented in the African digital landscape and understood as part of the solution.Item eduroam in Africa(IST-Africa Institute and IIMC, 2023) Fiore, Silvia; Dekkar, Leila; Aseda, Kennedyeduroam is the secure, worldwide roaming access service developed for the international research and education community to address the increasing need for fast and secure Internet connection everywhere. With over 6.4 billion international authentications to date stretching across 106 countries, eduroam is expanding in Africa, where National Research and Education Networks (NRENs) are going beyond the traditional campus connectivity aiming at bridging the digital divide. Uganda, South Africa and Kenya are leading the way and connecting users off campus at bus stops, libraries, cafes, and hospitals. NRENs are at the helm of Africa’s digital transformation and eduroam is a tangible solution to bridging the digital divide. This paper is, therefore, a guidebook detailing the technology behind eduroam, the benefits and the challenges for its four main target groups in Africa: users, institutions, NRENs and municipalities. The call for action is to further deploy eduroam hotspots and provide connectivity everywhere on the continent, including remote areas and unprivileged communities where students, researchers and teachers are present.