Transcript No Slide Title - Conference of African Ministers

USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES TO PROMOTE
LEARNING, TEACHING AND RESEARCH IN
AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES.
PAPER PRESENTED
BY
PROF. G. O. AJAYI
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT FORUM ‘99
24-28 OCTOBER 1999
ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA
ADDIS ABABA
USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES TO PROMOTE
LEARNING, TEACHING AND RESEARCH IN
AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES.
 DEVELOPMENT OF ICT IN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES
 AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES TO RESPOND TO THE CHALLENGES
OF ICT DEVELOPMENT.
 CAPACITY BUILDING NECESSARY TO COPE WITH THE REVOLUTIONARY
CHANGES TAKING PLACE IN ICT.
 RESPONSIBILITY OF TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS TO ACQUIRE ICT SKILLS
IN ORDER TO ENSURE SUSTAINABILITY OF ICT.
 TRANSFER OF ICT SKILLS FROM THE UNIVERSITY TO INDUSTRY
 PARTNERSHIP WITH THE PRIVATE SECTOR NECESSARY TO BUILD UP
NECESSARY ICT SKILLS.
 DEGREE OF ICT DIFFUSION INTO THE AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES STARTED
TO IMPROVE RECENTLY. THERE IS STILL THE
NEED FOR ACCELERATED DIFFUSION.
 CURRICULUM MODIFICATION AND DEVELOPMENT TO TAKE CARE OF
ICT DEVELOPMENT.
 POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA, M.Sc., PH.D. IN ICT
 TRAINING WORKSHOPS
 PARTNERSHIP WITH PRIVATE SECTOR FOR DEVELOPMENT OF ICT
SKILLS IN THE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECTORS.
 CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING.
DATA BANK DEVELOPMENT
 INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT.
NETWORKING
TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS
OTHERS
USES OF ICT IN AFRICAN UNIVERSITIES
1. PRESENT SITUATION
 INADEQUATE MODERN LIBRARY BOOKS.
 INADEQUATE MODERN JOURNALS.
 BOOK LIBRARY IS A GLOBAL WEBSITE IN HARD COPY
WITH LIMITED CAPACITY.
 COMPUTER CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET IS A VERITABLE
INTERFACE BETWEEN THE USER AND THE GLOBAL OCEAN
OF INFORMATION.
 WEB HAS PROVIDED A RICH AND NEW LEARNING ENVIRONMENT.
 FREE LECTURES AND OTHER RELEVANT TEACHING AND
RESEARCH MATERIALS..
2. TELE-EDUCATION AND TELE-LEARNING
 OPTIMAL USE OF HUMAN AND MATERIAL RESOURCES.
 COLLABORATION AT LOCAL, NATIONAL, REGIONAL AND
INTERNATIONAL LEVELS.
3. TEACHING
USE BY LECTURERS TO UPDATE LECTURES.
 USE BY STUDENTS TO COMPLEMENT LECTURER’S LECTURES.
 COLLABORATION BETWEEN UNIVERSITIES IN THE COUNTRY,
AFRICA AND GLOBALLY.
 CD-ROMS FOR RESOURCE SHARING.
4. RESEARCH
DISTANCE COLLABORATION.
 ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC JOURNALS, ABSTRACTS, ETC.
 ACCESS TO ELECTRONIC BOOKS (COST REDUCTION).
 GLOBAL ACCESSIBILITY TO RESEARCH RESULTS OF
AFRICAN RESEARCHERS.
 VIRTUAL LABORATORY TECHNIQUE FOR HUMAN AND MATERIAL
RESOURCE SHARING.
 USE FOR TRAINING ACADEMIC AT PRE- AND POST
DOCTORAL LEVELS FOR OVERALL IMPROVEMENT
OF STANDARDS.
 USE FOR NORMAL RESEARCH WORK.
5. BRAIN-DRAIN TO BRAIN-GAIN
OVER 2000 NIGERIAN SPECIALISTS DOCTORS IN THE USA ALONE.
 LARGE NUMBER OF AFRICAN EXPERTS IN THE NORTH.
 ICT TO TAP PART OF THE HUMAN RESOURCES.
•TELE-CONSULTATION
•DISTANCE COLLABORATION
CASE STUDY OF THE ICTP/OAU ACADEMIC
COMPUTER NETWORKING PROGRAMME
FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
ICTP - INTERNATIONAL CENTRE FOR THEORETICAL
PHYSICS, TRIESTE, ITALY.
OAU - OBAFEMI AWOLOWO UNIVERSITY,
ILE-IFE, NIGERIA.
PRIORITY FOR CAPACITY BUILDING
TRAIN ING OF TRAINERS.
 JOINT INSTALLATION OF INITIAL 3 SUBSETS.
 CAPACITY BUILDING WORKSHOPS AT THE ICTP
AND NIGERIA FOR TRAINERS FROM UNIVERSITIES
IN NIGERIA (OVER 40).
 NETWORK EXPANSION AND INSTALLATION TO 8
SUBSETS BY OAU STAFF.
 EXTERNAL TRAINING WORKSHOPS REGULARLY FOR ISPs,
PRIVATE SECTOR (OIL, BANK, ETC.), PUBLIC (ACADEMIC,
RESEARCH AND GOVERNMENT DEPTS), ETC.
 APPROACH ENSURES SUSTAINABILITY OF THE NETWORK
AND TECHNOLOGY. VSAT CONNECTION.
 VSAT PLAN FOR OVER 100 INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA
USING VSAT SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY.
IT - A University Priority
Aim to provide
adequate telecommunication and
information exchange infrastructure.
For use by
The University
University Science Park
“sister institutions”
IT needed for Survival
ICTP TRAINING AND SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT ON
NETWORKING & RADIO COMMUNICATIONS
 REMOVE ISOLATION OF SCIENTISTS ONN RETURN TO
HOME COUNTRY.
 ESTABLISH SMALL AREA COMPUTER NETWORKS AND
THEIR CONNECTION TO THE INTERNET-DIRECTLY
OR THROUGH NATIONAL NETWORKS
 PRIORITIES ENVISAGED ARE
 provision Of E-Mail
 capacity building for technical personnel
 training of users in the academic or scientific institution involved.
1/20/98
AJAYI 1998
OAUNET as a TEST BED
 Collaboration with ICTP
development of wireless radio network
Packet Radio connectivity for Rural Health
centres
Spread Spectrum HF links for Rural Areas
 Multimedia conferencing at low
bandwidths
Virtual Laboratory - Case Study
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
 Started in April 1996 by the ICTP and O.A.U
Three Sub-nets  Technology, Sciences and Computer Science
Spread Spectrum Wireless radio link
Linux and TCP/IP
Growth Rate
 About 600 by Early 1998
 Over 800 now, limited by number of available
computers
OAUNET - Main Network Diagram
VSAT
Earth Station
64 Kbps
WaveLan
2Mbps
Main
HUB
First
Generation
sc tech
Second
Generation
usb
cs
chs
agric
Third
Generation
Planned
Dial up
MODEM
33 Kbps
Key
Packet and HF radio links to
rural Health establishments in the area
NC
OA
sc - sciences
tech - Technology
cs - Computer
Science
usb - Secretariat
chs - Health Science
Agric- Agriculture
NC - NACTEM
OA - OAU Teaching
hospital
WLAN Antenna
Inter
Subnet Backup
Router Server
Main HUB or
network
Modem
Server
Mail
Server
WEB
Server
Proxy
Firewall
Terminal
Equipment
CISCO
router
Pentium II PCs
10 base 2 Ethernet Backbone
List location or contact for specification (or other related documents) here
TRAINING REQUIRED FOR
VIRTUAL LABORATORY
 Training for network provision
 Training in Virtual Laboratory technology
 Training of scientists on the use of the virtual
laboratory facilities.
NUNet
Capacity Building
 On going collaboration with the ICTP over the
last 2 years
Planned VSAT link for 41 Universities
Probably will be the largest Academic
Network in Africa.
Virtual Laboratory - Definition
Research collaboration carried out over a
distance
Remote Computing
Data and application sharing
Virtual Laboratory may provide
Staff training in African Universities and
Research centres.
Improved level of University education in
Africa.
Reduce Brain Drain
VIRTUAL LABORATORIES FOR
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.
Based on improving information networks
Providing collaboratory research at
the national level or south - south or south - north.
Pre and Post Doctoral Research work
Participation in some major international
scientific research projects
Accessibility to sophisticated equipment in the
north
Accessibility to relevant electronic publications
CENTRAL LABORATORY
Central Laboratory with
Analytical Section
UV Spectrometer, Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometer,
UV Scanning Spectrophotometer, High Performance
Binary Gradient System, Gas Chromatograph System with
keyboard
Photomicroscopy section
with an Electron Microscope, a Scanning Electron
Microscope and Compound Light UV and Fluorescence
Research Microscopes
General equipment section
with ovens, centrifuges, ultra centrifuges, ice making
machines, freeze dryers, etc.
Centre for Energy Research and Development
(CERD) 9MV FN Tandem Accelerator
CENTRAL LABORATORY
To be Used by
Local relevant departments and researchers
Other Universities and institutions.
Ability to also access real Laboratory
equipment
From Remote Terminals Located in
Other Laboratories in Nigeria
Outside Nigeria
INTERNET and Network connectivity through
the OAUNET
EXAMPLE - Ph. D. Programme at the
University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Ph.D. programme in Mathematics started as a
collaboration with the ICTP
Only for past students of the ICTP Diploma
programme in Mathematics.
AIMS
to reduce migration to the north
Provide cost effective and high level Ph.D. training
Slow down Brain Drain
To be based on Satellite Technology
EXAMPLE - OAU Participation in the
Climatological Conference taking place at the
ICTP in June 1999
Almost real time participation of scientists
in some universities in Nigeria
Scientists will assemble at OAU, Ile-Ife
Low bandwidth technology
WEB,
shared white board
bi-directional audio
Total bandwidth to be used would be below
24 kilobits per second.
SCENARIO
 University Professor or Academic in a developing country.
 Has not attended a conference outside his country for
10 years
 He does not have access to the following.
Good library
No fund to purchase new books.
No access to modern journals.
 Consider Moore’s Law that every 18 months, the speed
of technological innovation doubles.
CONCLUSION: Any university that is not fully connected to
the Internet in the next two years should be closed down,
because it will no longer be able to satisfy the objective of
its establishment.
CONCLUSION
Tremendous benefits to developing countries.
Improved Pre and Post Doctoral research
training.
Improve manpower development in
Universities and research centres.
Improve participation in high level state of the
art research work.
Make available central research facilities at
virtual laboratories.
Reduce Brain Drain