Session II - Leveraging NRENs for Meteorological and Climate Research
Description
In the field of climate and environmental sciences in general, the contribution of African researchers to the advancement of science is minimal. Yet, according to COP26, Africa is the most affected by the effects of climate change.
Environmental problems are increasingly complex and generate a lot of data. To be able to understand these problems and analyze these data, we need good network connections to transport the data, computing power and simulation power for the analysis and large storage capacity for the data and the results of collaborative efforts in the global climate modelling community to improve our understanding of climate change.
NRENs can provide the necessary infrastructure for data sharing and collaboration among participating institutions. They can also facilitate access to specialized computing resources and software tools required for modelling and analysis. Limited financial means and infrastructure mean we can only do this through strong cooperation and collaboration.
Target Audience(s)
All Conference participants
Expected Outcome
The panel will discuss how NRENs can serve climate and meteorological research, and provide the networks which connect research labs with the high-performance computers and cloud infrastructures that allow African researchers to pool their strengths to be competitive internationally and for sustainable development in Africa.
Schedule
Date: Thursday March 16 Venue: Conference Venue (Nyerere and Olympio Ballrooms), Accra Marriott Hotel Time: 11:00AM - 13:00PM
Session III - Scalable platforms for Digital Education
Description
In recent years, digital education has experienced an unprecedented boom, driven by advances in technology that have made learning more accessible and personalized. Effective pedagogy is essential in creating engaging and interactive learning experiences that keep students motivated and interested. Teachers must be able to adapt their teaching methods to the digital environment, leveraging technology to create innovative and effective learning experiences.
Scalable environments are important for digital education because they allow for a larger number of students to access education materials without compromising the quality of the learning experience. However, to create truly scalable environments for digital education, it is necessary to leverage emerging technologies such as video, data science, and AI with traditional virtual learning environments.
Video-based content provides an effective way to deliver engaging, interactive, and personalized learning experiences to students, and can be used to supplement lectures, provide real-world examples, and demonstrate complex concepts.
Data science and AI technologies can be used to analyze student data and provide insights into their learning progress, helping teachers to identify areas where students are struggling and provide targeted support. AI-based tools can also be used to personalize learning experiences for individual students, ensuring that they receive the support and resources they need to succeed.
Target Audience(s)
All Conference participants
Expected Outcome
The panel will discuss the opportunities available in WACREN and elsewhere and how NRENs can support educators to leverage these tools and strategies to create innovative and compelling learning experiences that engage and motivate students, regardless of their location or background.
Schedule
Date: Thursday March 16 Venue: Conference Venue (Nyerere and Olympio Ballrooms), Accra Marriott Hotel Time: 16:00 - 17:00
Session IV - How to improve Open Science infrastructure in Africa
Description
Open Science is a global trend that promises to significantly increase the availability and impact of research outcomes worldwide. The move towards Open Science also offers an opportunity to spread good practices for managing digital content and accelerating the digital research and education trend in Africa.
However, Open Science requires services and infrastructures to be developed across the ecosystem, including by university libraries, NRENs, and other entities. And all of these must also link into the international research communication system.
This panel will offer a snapshot into the future of Open Science, consider the impact of innovations in scholarly publishing on the African continent, and learn about how other regions are navigating the transition to Open Science.
Target Audience(s)
TBA
Expected Outcome
TBA
Schedule
Date: Friday March 17 Venue: Conference Venue (Nyerere and Olympio Ballrooms), Accra Marriott Hotel Time: 09:00 - 12:00
Panel
Chair:
Kathleen Shearer
Speakers:
Cephas Mensah Lautaro Julian Matas Dr. Kostas Glinos Godwyns Onwuchekwa
Media
Event Title
Session I - Identity and Access Management - a case for eduID
Description
Today, Identity and Access Management (IAM) is an integral part of IT security and processes in organisations across the world; it is even more pertinent in the research and education environment due to the growing amount of private information and data that institutions are gathering, such as academic records, research data, and the personal information of students, teachers, and staff.
IAM is critical in the education sector to protect sensitive information, ensure compliance with data protection regulations, and improve the overall security posture of educational institutions.
Research and education networks are building circles of trust where all stakeholders have a common objective of easing access to a plethora of information to advance knowledge discovery, sharing and use within Africa and beyond.
This session will discuss education identity and access management in Africa, and how NRENS are providing support, tools and cloud services to improve identity management on campus to maximise opportunities. It will also discuss the “eduID” concept - a life-long identity for higher education being promoted globally.
Target Audience(s)
All conference participants including heads of higher education institutions, managers of NRENs, organisations that provide services to the university communities.
Expected Outcome
1. A clear understanding of the need for a robust IAM infrastructure and service for the education environment in Africa. 2. A demonstration of how reliable identity management in African universities can be managed with advanced platforms and NREN services.
Brenda Namuli (RENU) Owen Iyoha (EKO-KONNECT) Mamadou Bakouan (UVCI)
Media
Event Title
Workshop updates and closing ceremony
This is a summary report of all workshops organised from Monday, March 13 to Wednesday, March 15. Then there will be a closing ceremony to formally end the 8th Conference and sign post the future.
Media
Event Title
WACREN AGM
All stakeholders of WACREN will meet at the Nyerere Ballroom for the 9th Annual General Meeting. The AGM is open to all.
Media
Event Title
Africa Digital Campus Steering Committee
The highest decision-making body of the implementation of the ADC project will meet to discuss the progress and the future of the project.
Media
Event Title
Coffee Break
Get some coffee to be able to stay through to the end of the last day’s session. Move to the foyer in front of the Conference Ballrooms.
Media
Event Title
Gala Dinner
After all is said and done, we will move to +233 Jazz Bar & Grill in the heart of Accra for special dinner. You will be treated to sumptuous meals in a serene environment while listening to live band music ranging from reggae, afrobeat, jazz, rock to country.
The best part is the dancing time! This is a dress down event; no jackets and ties! A bus will be positioned at Marriott Hotel to convey participants to the event grounds.
If you want to use a hailing ride service or local transport, this map will come in handy to get to +233.
Media
Event Title
Coffee Break + Group Photo
Exit to the foyer in front of the Conference Ballroom for the coffee break.
Group photos follow right after the coffee break.
Media
Event Title
Coffee Break
Let’s get another respite with a coffee break at the foyer near the Conference ballroom. This break should revitalise you for the last lap of talk for the day.
Media
Event Title
Lunch
Get down to the ground floor and join us at the Red Red Restaurant for a delicious lunch buffet.
Media
Event Title
Registration
Foyer leading to Conference Ballrooms (Olympio and Nyerere). Please ensure that you take your Conference tag/badge at the onsite registration desk after identifying yourself.
If you have already received your badge before coming to the foyer, please proceed to the Conference venue upstairs.
Media
Event Title
WACREN-ICTP IoT Workshop
Description
This workshop is part of a developing program to boost the deployment of sensor networks and LoraWAN gateways in WACREN NRENs for climate and weather research support services.
Reach a consensus on next steps in developing a program to boost the deployment of sensor networks and LoraWAN gateways in WACREN NRENs for climate and weather research services.
Venue
IAC [Seminar Room], Balme Library, University of Ghana-Legon
The 3-day Technical Workshop will focus on training network admins in Ansible – a leading platform deployed by IT professionals worldwide to automate their server and network environment.
Target Audience(s)
Systems and network administrators within the WACREN community; including NRENs, research centres, universities and other institutions of higher learning. Potential participants should have basic understanding of networking and server management.
Expected Outcome
(1). Attendees will be familiar with Ansible/ Automation concepts, like inventory, Playbooks etc. (2). Attendees will be able to run playbooks, simultaneously installing and deploying services on multiple servers.
Venue
IAC [ICT Lab], Balme Library, University of Ghana-Legon
Globally, there's increasing acknowledgement that open, community-driven infrastructure is important, and we see that the discussions regarding its development and adoption are starting in Africa. Open infrastructure has huge potential to facilitate innovation, advance science and research and help bridge inequities in society. Co-hosted by WACREN and IOI, this invite-only session will bring together key open infrastructure providers, funders and intermediaries both from Africa and beyond to discuss challenges hindering adoption of open infrastructure and the opportunities that can be leveraged through collective action to further the adoption and development of open infrastructure that centers the needs of the African community.
The NREN Academy program has been established to enhance the capacity of NREN managers (CEOs, CTOs and other senior personnel) and to serve as an experience sharing platform.
This session is to review the updated NREN maturity matrix of the NRENs and to brainstorm on the future activities, based on priorities of members.
Target Audience(s)
NREN CEOs, NREN technical managers etc.
Expected Outcome
Updated maturity matrix of the NRENs reviewed and discussed Priorities areas for future sessions identified
The STIRS Commercialisation Partnership Programme is a platform created to facilitate collaboration, co-creation, and resource mobilisation to accelerate the commercialisation of research and innovation in Ghana.
Participants
Invite-only
Expected Outcome
-
Venue
Nyerere Ballroom, Accra Marriott Hotel
Conveners
Heritors Labs & MESTI
Registration
Closed
Media
Event Title
AfricaConnect3 Project Management Board
Description
This is a periodic, scheduled meeting of the highest decision-making body of the AfricaConnect3 project to discuss important issues about the project.
Participants
WACREN, Ubuntunet Alliance, ASREN, GEANT, EU
Expected Outcome
N/A
Venue
Accra Marriott Hotel
Conveners
GEANT
Registration
Invite-only
Media
Event Title
Open Climate Policy Meeting
Description
This is a scheduled 1:1 and small group meetings between interested stakeholders to promote open access to research to accelerate progress towards solving the climate crisis and preserving global biodiversity.
Participants
Open climate activists
Providers of infrastructure
Open access activists
Early career researchers
Expected Outcome
N/A
Venue
Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research
Conveners
CSIR-STEPRI
Registration
Invite-only
Media
Event Title
Open Reviewers Africa
Description
Peer review, just as any other process, protocol, policy, structure, is conducted by people and thus is naturally subject to influence by people’s beliefs and biases. In the context of the global Open Science movement, the status quo of scholarly evaluation is being challenged in favour of a more open, inclusive, and equitable way of conducting peer review.
Participants in this workshop will reflect on past and present mistakes that have led to today’s inequitable system, and help to design and implement that change. The Open Peer Reviewers in Africa Workshop is a hands-on, interactive workshop designed to train early-career researchers (ECRs) in engaging in ethical and constructive manuscript peer review, centering around equity, diversity, and inclusion.
The workshop is a taster for a developing LIBSENSE program.
Participants
Early-career researchers, from graduate to postgraduate levels. However, because the training content includes many open and equitable scientific engagement elements, all career levels are welcome and would benefit from participation in the workshop.
Expected Outcome
Participants enhance their knowledge in scholarly open review of preprints Consensus built on decolonising the academic publishing process by creating equitable opportunities for African researchers to learn together, lead and teach others.
Venue
Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research
Conveners
CSIR-STEPRI
Registration
Invite-only
Media
Event Title
NREN CEOs Gathering
Description
This is a traditional get-together of the management teams of WACREN members.
Participants
All Heads of WACREN Members
Expected Outcome
1. Issues facing members listed and discussed 2. New members informally welcomed
Venue
Nkrumah Ballroom, Accra Marriott Hotel
Conveners
WACREN Secretariat
Registration
Invite-only
Media
Event Title
NREN Ambassadors Meeting
Description
Advocacy is very important to get policy and decision makers to invest in IT infrastructure at campus and national level, and influential members of the community are key for this. This is why WACREN has initiated the NREN Ambassador programme.
NREN Ambassadors are former ministers, serving or former VCs, etc. who are expected to help WACREN construct a coherent and efficient discourse to sensitize governments and development partners to support NRENs in its region.
This meeting will be the second face-to-face meeting of the NREN Ambassadors, after a long pause due to COVID-19.
Participants
WACREN NREN Ambassadors
Expected Outcome
1. NREN Ambassadors reconnected 2. Future actions with timeline identified and discussed
Venue
Nkrumah Ballroom, Accra Marriott Hotel
Conveners
WACREN CEO
Registration
Invite-only
Media
Event Title
Opening Session + Opening Keynote
Time
Activity
09:00 – 09:05
Welcome Remarks: Dr. Boubakar Barry, CEO, WACREN
09:05 – 09:10
Welcome Remarks: Prof. Clifford Tagoe, Chairman, GARNET
09:10 – 09:15
Opening Remarks: Dr. Venant Palanga, Chair, WACREN
Keynote Address: Prof. Nii Narku Quaynor,
Chairman, Ghana Dot Com, Ghana
10:30 – 11:00
Group photo and coffee break
Event Title
Social Tour
What you see online is just the tip of the iceberg. Accra and Aburi are two places to discover. Join us on Saturday (the day after the Conference) to learn a rich mix of antiquity and modernity that tells fantastic stories about the two places. In a bus stocked with drinks, we will visit Black Star Square (the Independence Arch), the Osu Castle (former seat of government), James Town (an old British town, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the Arts Centre and a host of other exciting sites. Get your camera ready and be camera-ready!
Event Title
Social Tour
What you see online is just the tip of the iceberg. Accra and Aburi are two places to discover. Join us on Saturday (the day after the Conference) to learn a rich mix of antiquity and modernity that tells fantastic stories about the two places. In a bus stocked with drinks, we will visit Black Star Square (the Independence Arch), the Osu Castle (former seat of government), James Town (an old British town, the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, the Arts Centre and a host of other exciting sites. Get your camera ready and be camera-ready!
Media