Connecting Africa to unlimited possibilities
What is AfricaConnect4?
AfricaConnect4 (AC4) is an EU-co-funded pan-African connectivity project that consolidates and expands on the results of three previous phases, together supporting the creation, development and use of high-capacity research and education networks across the continent.
The project's overall objective is to increase African research and education communities' access to and use of information and communications technology, and to strengthen international cooperation on science, technology and innovation to address global challenges.
THREE SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
Enhance the delivery capacity and the financial and institutional sustainability of African Regional and National Research and Education Networks.
Ensure African R&E communities' access to affordable, reliable, high-speed connectivity, and connection to the global R&E community.
Strengthen the delivery of above-the-network services, with particular focus on e-learning, climate change science and related disciplines.
Project partners
Building on a decade of progress
The European Commission has supported African research and education networks (RENs) through the AfricaConnect programme since 2011. WACREN joined the project in the second phase (AfricaConnect2 - 2015 - 2019).
AfricaConnect2
Launched the WACREN backbone, connecting the NRENs of Nigeria, Ghana and Togo to GÉANT.
Visit siteAfricaConnect3
Extended connectivity to six new countries and opened a new Dakar aggregation hub.
Visit siteAfricaConnect4
Closes remaining gaps, deepens above-the-network services and builds long-term sustainability.
Current phaseAfricaConnect4 in the WACREN region
WACREN leads AfricaConnect4 in West and Central Africa (Cluster 2), an implementation area covering more than 22 countries. Within this region, the project is working to:
Connectivity Expansion
Strengthening the WACREN backbone, extending high-speed regional links and tackling last-mile gaps bringing new countries into the network in Phase 4.
ExploreClimate Data Infrastructure
HPC clusters, EUMETCast terrestrial data portals, WMO-compliant weather stations and LoRaWAN gateways building the digital plumbing for African climate research, all under the WACREN CLIMET service.
ExploreWomen in STEM
Growing women's leadership through the Women-in-WACREN programme, annual hackathons and mentorship.
ExploreCybersecurity & Threat Intelligence
Standing up an ISAC, strengthening CSIRT cooperation and securing federated identity across the region's NRENs, through the TrustBroker Africa and the WACREN T&I programmes
ExploreCapacity Building
The NREN Academy, business accelerators, technical training and exchange programmes equipping a new generation of African REN leaders, all through the Africa Training Initiative (ATI).
Explore
The European Union, under the EU Global Gateway Strategy and the Africa-Europe Investment Package, through DG INTPA.
Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible.