Transcript Role of Universities in Influencing Policies for Access

Role of Universities in Influencing
Policies for Access
Frontiers of Knowledge in Science
And Technology for Africa
Lishan Adam
Agenda - Three Areas of Policy Influence
Building Blocks)
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Universities role
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1. Influencing policies on access at all levels
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2. Research and Development in policies and regulation
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Campus Networks
National Research and Education Networks
Regional consortium (Research and Education Networks)
Advanced infrastructure for scientists and researchers
Policy studies
Informing policy
Influencing policy
3. Training and education in policies and regulation
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Policy education
Policy training
Influencing Policy – Universities Roles
and experiences – Overlap and Focus
Focus
Campus
Network
Advanced Networks
Policy and
Regulatory
Research
Education
On
Policy &
Regulation
Campus Networks
Policy Issues and Challenges
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Development and redesign of network for
high availability using different technologies
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Maintenance of secure and reliable, and
optimised network
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ICT support and governance framework to
promote smooth functioning of campus
network
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Enhancing value to users by launching
diverse applications (e-learning platforms, elab applications and specific content
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Development of technical capacities
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Seamless integration and interconnection to
national and regional network and
constituencies
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Universities’ role
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Campus ICT strategy or
plan signed by VC and
other stakeholders
Campus Network
Acceptable use Policy
and best practice in
design
Participation in
national and regional
efforts to promote
academic connectivity
and campus networks
Campus network - foundation
National Education and Research
Networks
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Resource allocation for
educational connectivity
(budget line)
National ICT strategies
and broadband strategies
that integrate educational
needs
Reduction of costs to
academic network
(differential fees)
Governance framework
for NREN put in place
The Number of Countries with ICT Policies and without
100%
80%
60%
No policy
40%
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Government must see NREN as an important public infrastructure
Underway
Policy
0%
Year
20
06
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20%
20
05
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20
04
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Aggregating demand for
connectivity at national levels –
equipment, bandwidth
Extending Internet connectivity
to unconnected research
institutions (equity, content)
Sharing network resources
(expertise, strategies, IP
Numbers, open academic
content)
Participation in regional and
international Network
Organizations
Policy issues
20
02
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20
00
Roles
19
99
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Cost of Bandwidth high Fiber Access low
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Less than 20 of the
54 countries with
fiber links
Monopoly pricing
Lack of backbones
African Fiber access
cost $2500 to
$7500 per
mbps/month
(average of $5000
Mbps/month)
US 2.5 Mbps/month,
Asia $16-30
Mbps/month
Satellite the main mode of connectivity and Cost of
Bandwidth a major barrier to Research Network -
2010
A few countries (Tanzania and recently
Uganda) initiated broadband strategies
to integrate local capabilities
National Backbone is needed
Other challenges to Satellite
connectivity
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High licensing charges
Requirements for use of incumbent’s hub
Prohibition of voice traffic over VSAT
High landing fee for operators
Outright rejection of applications for VSAT
license
Overall Regulatory Quality ( World Bank
African Development Report, 2006)
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High ( Botswana, Cape Verde, Mauritius, Namibia, South
Africa)
Medium (Burkina Faso, Gambia, Ghana, Madagascar,Mali,
Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Senegal,
Tunisia,Uganda)
Low (Benin, Cameroon, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea,
Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé
and Principe, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Zambia,
Zimbabwe)
Very low - Algeria, Angola, Burundi, Central African
Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Dem. Rep., Congo, Rep.,
Côte d’Ivoire, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guinea, Guinea- Bissau,
Liberia, Libya, Nigeria, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia,
Sudan)
Telecommunications Regulatory
Quality
Advanced Reform
Mauritius, Morocco, Tanzania, Botswana
South Africa Uganda Kenya
In the Process
Burkina Faso, Cote d’Ivoire, Congo, Egypt, Ghana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi,
Mali, Mozambique Mauritania, Namibia, Nigeria,
Rwanda, Seychelles, Senegal, Sudan, Togo, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Early Stage
Benin, Burundi, Chad, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Comoros, DRC,
Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia
Niger, Sao Tome & Principe, Sierra Leone Swaziland, Togo
Opportunities for NREN
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Phasing out of exclusivity period (Senegal, Uganda, South Africa,
Kenya, Mali, Ghana)
Introduction of converged licensing regime (post-exclusivity) –
Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, South Africa Senegal, Tanzania, these
announced broad competition
IP driven market dynamics
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Depriving incumbents of lucrative revenue
low volume/high margin  High volume low margin
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Digital divide/ information society initiatives
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RECs (ECOWAS, ECAAS, COMESA, SADC, EAC, IOC)
Fastest growing communications economy
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Summary of policy issues at national
levels and role of universities
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Excessive cost of
bandwidth
No backbone networks
Network concentration
in urban area
Limited diffusion of
wireless and innovative
technologies, tools for
using existing resources
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Good regulation, consortium,
fibre-based system is a must for
lowering cost (work on local
policy barriers)
Participate – provide political
support for the establishment of
NREN, support a governance
framework
Promote national backbone
networks
Implications of Institutional Collaboration and Government Support
High
Go it Alone
Fully functional
Institutional
collaboration
High
Specialized
Low
No NREN
Low
Government Support
Regional Research and Education Networks
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Major objectives of RREN:
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Develop a state of the art infrastructure to
support teaching, learning and research at
regional levels (exploit economy of scale)
Act as hubs for researching and implementing
new and advanced network services
Provide centralised skills in networking
Challenges to RREN
Smaller traffic, large
number of countries
 Different markets
that demand policy
harmonization
 Cross-border
connectivity is needed
between universities
 A few regional
initiatives (Ubuntunet,
west Africa, Eumed)
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Universities role
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Promote aggregations and cross-border networks as building block for
regional networks – federated R&E networks like the bandwidth
consortium would be useful
Organic development start from where it works (SARUA)
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Regional harmonization through regional regulatory associations
Universities work with regional and national regulatory bodies
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Leverage regional organizations (AAU, East African Universities
Association, Association of Francophone universities.)
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Policy…and commitment of governments
AU, NEPAD, RECs (ECOWAS, SADC, COMESA) agenda
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N/RREN and regulatory implications awareness (, e-rates, Dark fiber,
cross-border connectivity)
2.
University role as communicator of
evidence to inform or influence policy
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Key challenges
• Lack of information and analysis about
the ICT sector on the African continent.
• Deep policy issues that increasingly
require research and analysis,
evaluation and ongoing assessment
scanning local/international
• Research on ICT policy /ICT in general
driven either by market or donor
agencies– public oriented objective
research on ICT is hardly available
• The understanding comes from the
theory and experiences gained in the
developed world. Organic policies that
emerge from the realities and
constraints are needed
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Opportunities
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Interest in measuring the
information society
Global interest in
objective research –
sober assessment of
failure of policies
Research programmes
like the research ICT
Africa network (www.
Researchictafrica.net)
More understanding of
the relationships between
policies and ICTs for
development is needed
3. Teaching and Training in ICT
policy
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Challenge
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ICT policy and regulation
specialised field – much of
advice from donors, experts and
companies
Training on ICT policy provided by
specialised institutions in Europe
and north America
Advisory services provided by
regional institutions
Most regulatory bodies are
relatively new and inexperienced
Policy makers change fast,
ongoing training of new
appointees is needed
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Opportunities
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Donor interest in
regulatory training
Programmes such as
NetTel@Africa that
bring universities
together with
regulators
NetTel@Africa - training, teaching
example
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Common curricular frameworks, including internetbased courses,
Investigation into appropriate technologies and
mechanisms for distance learning
Development of common standards for competence
evaluation and certification of personnel;
Development of a regional directory of specialisation
among training centres and personnel;
Joint provision of training, sharing of research materials
and coordination of training programmes;
Regional certification agreements to support reciprocal
recognition of qualifications.
Skills for policy makers and
regulators
a.
b.
c.
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graduate level skills in the disciplines underpinning policies and
regulation (economics, accountancy, law, electrical engineering,
socio-informatics, information systems, project management, etc.);
high-level skills in major regulatory and policy issues relating to
ICTs (such as licensing, interconnection, competition policy,
telecoms accounting etc.);
general understanding (for both senior professionals and junior
personnel) in those areas in which they personally are nonspecialist (e.g. basic telecommunications technology, basic
telecoms finance, ICT for development);
and highly-specialist expertise in one-off issues (for example,
design and implementation of numbering plans)
Universities Role
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Help countries to adopt policies that meet
development challenges
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Establish ICT policy research (CoE, Research Group, forum)
Participate in global and regional initiatives and
knowledge networks in ICT policy (RIA, ICT indicators,
evaluation methods)
Create space for teaching and learning ICT policy
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Initiate ICT policy training
Introduce into the curriculum
Participate in teaching and training by collaborating with
institutions such as NetTel@africa
Thank you….