Partnership to boost connectivity for researchers

Angola Cables will collaborate with the West and Central African Research and Education Network, or WACREN, to expand bandwidth connectivity among West and Central African research and education member institutions.

The agreement announced on 19 December 2017 will give African scientists, researchers and other academics a stable connection comparable to their international colleagues and also foster collaboration between research and education institutions within and beyond the region.

The following countries will benefit from the bandwidth expansion: Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo and Nigeria.

Speaking during the announcement of the collaboration, WACREN CEO Boubakar Barry said as the research and education network grows in West and Central Africa, the enlargement will play a crucial role in enabling member institutions to boost the connectivity in the region and beyond, and allow its members to work together more efficiently among themselves and with colleagues in other parts of the world.

WACREN is the West and Central African Research and Education Network (REN) which supports interconnections and fosters collaboration between research and education institutions in the region and international peers by building and operating a world-class network infrastructure, developing state of the art services, promoting collaboration among national, regional, and international research communities, and building the human capacity of the REN community.

Angola Cables is part of the consortium of companies that manage the West Africa Cable System (WACS), which provides carrier-level services to operators in Angola and in the Sub-Saharan region. – Compiled by Sam Otieno.