The West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN) has announced a major advancement in Africa's research capabilities with the launch of a new cloud infrastructure. Supported by the AfricaConnect3 project and co-funded by the European Commission, this upgrade is set to benefit universities, research institutions, and education networks across the region.

The newly introduced private cloud infrastructure, strategically hosted in Nigeria, is designed to provide a robust, secure, and scalable platform tailored to the diverse needs of the academic and research community in West and Central Africa. Key features include high performance and scalability, enabling it to efficiently handle large-scale data and computational requirements. The platform also integrates advanced security protocols to ensure data integrity and protection.

Boubakar Barry, CEO of WACREN, emphasized the transformative impact of this development: "The WACREN Cloud upgrade marks a significant step forward for us, enhancing our capacity to serve national research and education networks (NRENs) across our region." He highlighted the platform's role in supporting collaborative platforms and services essential for fostering research and innovation excellence.

The infrastructure includes state-of-the-art network equipment and high-performance servers, aimed at enhancing connectivity and delivering advanced services crucial for academic and research operations. This development underscores WACREN's commitment to creating an advanced digital environment conducive to educational and research excellence in the region.

Barry further stated, "We look forward to the tremendous impact the expanded infrastructure will have on fostering research and innovation excellence across West and Central Africa."

WACREN's vision is to facilitate a connected African research and education community, promoting collaboration and driving excellence in education and research. This world-class private cloud infrastructure is poised to significantly elevate research capabilities in the region, providing researchers and educators with powerful computational resources and collaborative tools essential for groundbreaking research and development.

 

Article by Nyokabi Wanjiku

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