Development of research networking in Africa: the point of view of the RINAF technical support unit established in Pisa

The RINAF (Regional Informatics Network for Africa) project, conceived by UNESCO\u27s Intergovernmental Informatics Programme (IIP) in 1989 and mainly financed by the Italian Government, is aimed at supporting the interconnection of academic and research institutions within Africa and to the international research community through the provision of computer equipment, basic network services and training activities. Starting from a description of the project status, this paper gives an evaluation of the changing network environment in Africa and of its impact, providing some remarks on the set up of an independent African management capacity for research networks

Kenyan-Belgian Project in Marine Sciences: First Quarterly Report

The scientific programs, discussed with the Belgian experts during the two first years of the project are successfully running now. In general terms the research work in the different fields is carried on as last year. Some new programs fitting in the framework of the project, have been started recently. In order to develop the present project into a Regional Project of Marine Sciences, Prof. Polk - Director of the KBP established contacts with Universities and International Organizations (UNESCO, UNEP, IUCN, EEC..). Prof. Polk has been appointed expert by UNEP to undertake a mission to visit the Institutes, Universities and Ministries of the East African 1 I countries and the West Indian Ocean Islands, to discuss the possibilities for an interdisciplinary collaboration on a regional basis. Besides this mission, Mr. Onyango and Mr. Pissierssens of the Computer Section - KMFRI, were asked by UNESCO to elaborate the possibilities of a computer network for a Documentation and Scientific Data Base for the East African Region. For the organization of the scientific work a seminar is organized at the end of each month to discuss the sampling schedule for the next month. As there is only one 4-wheel drive Landrover, lent to us by the Cooperation Section - Belgian Embassy Nairobi, and two canoes with outboard engines for a team of about 15 research officers working on different research fields, a coordinated planning for transport is needed so that each research topic sampling can be done. However, the most important hamper for the continuity of the research work is still transport, besides the fact that delivery of equipment ordered from Belgium takes a long time. During the monthly meetings, the progress of the research work of the different topics is discussed as well as any problem concerning the sampling and research

UNESCO MIL Cities Network As Opportunity for Development in Africa

The main objective of this article is to show the opportunities that can open up for African cities from the UNESCO MIL Cities approach. The methodology used was the theoretical-practical based on the bibliographical review and the narrative of the authors' experiences. MIL Cities is a UNESCO framework that speaks of the need to build or reform urban spaces so that they use new technologies but using them ethically and respectfully for vulnerable groups, transcending cultural barriers to communication and contributing to the objectives of the 2030 agenda. The article has three parts. The first part insists on the definition of the MIL Cities concept, its origin and the preliminary work that has been done to support its implementation. An exhaustive explanation is given of the 13 Indicators and 252 metrics of MIL Cities published by Chibás Ortiz and other authors. The creation of the UNESCO World Network of MIL Cities is discussed. The second part explains the role of metrics in the evaluation of MIL projects in towns and cities. This second part focuses also on the practical implementation strategies and cases deployed to spread the concept and its objectives. A particular emphasis is placed on the various webinars organized and their format though the whole world. This part summarizes actions and events taken to promote the initiative. The third part focuses on the Latin America & Africa MIL Cities initiative. In this last section, the article focuses on the launch of the project and on the objectives to be achieved to develop MIL Cities in Africa. It highlights the countries involved in the project launch activities, the promotional strategies to be deployed to disseminate the concept to all countries on the continent. It is concluded that the MIL Cities framework opens up new possibilities for the growth and development for African cities

University press publishing consortium for Africa : lessons from academic libraries

This paper presents the results of a case study of the policies and practices of six African university presses. Based on the findings, it posits the formation of a consortium of African university presses. It borrows heavily from consortium formation in the library world

The Development and Usage of the Greenstone Digital Library Software

The Greenstone software has helped spread the practical impact of digital library technology throughout the world-particularly in developing countries. This article reviews the project’s origins, usage, and the development of support mechanisms for Greenstone users. We begin with a brief summary of salient aspects of this open source software package and its user population. Next we describe how its international, humanitarian focus arose. We then review the special requirements imposed by the conditions that prevail in developing courtiers. Finally we discuss efforts to establish regional support organizations for Greenstone in India and Africa

Partnerships for Sustainable Development Goals 2016

This present document is the fourth edition of a report that has been prepared by the Division for Sustainable Development of UN-DESA as a follow up the Rio+20 Conference in 2012, as an effort to provide status of progress multi-stakeholder partnerships and voluntary commitments have in realizing sustainable development. This current 2016 edition reviews a number of action networks and multi-stakeholder partnerships, with a particular focus on how they support the theme of the 2016 High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) - "Ensuring that no one is left behind". Information in the report is largely based on submissions from the Partnerships for SDGs online platform, which was originally developed following the Rio+20 Conference in 201. The platform was recently redesigned ahead of the adoption of 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the United Nations Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015

In the palm of your hand: supporting rural teacher professional development and practice through the use of mobile phones and other handheld digital devices

Given the huge growth of mobile phone access in Sub Saharan Africa (Minges, 2004) some of the most innovative uses of mobile devices are now to be found in the development context (Economist, 2005). Reviews of the use of mobile technologies point to a range of current and potential development for learning in classrooms, homes and the community (e.g. Naismith et al). This paper draws on the experience of two projects: a large scale project for SMS mediated school administration in Kenya and a small scale research project using eBooks and other digital tools for teacher professional development and practice, carried out in predominantly rural schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. This research is set in the wider context of the emerging theory, practice and evaluation of the use of mobile technologies for improving teaching and learning (Leach 2006, Power & Thomas 2006, Traxler & Kukulska-Hulme 2006). The paper considers the potential of currently common mobile phones to aid communication and break down isolation amongst rural teachers and the design, use and evaluation of e-book learning resources on handheld mobile devices, such as current ‘smart-phones’, which the authors anticipate will soon be the ‘normal’ ubiquitous mobile phone. Whilst there is only a small body of evidence on the application of mobile technologies to teacher learning, impacts on teacher development remain a matter for debate. Findings suggest that given the right conditions, uses of mobile technology can significantly enhance teacher professional learning and practice

Digital Learning: Reforming Teacher Education to Promote Access, Equity and Quality in Sub-Saharan Africa

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the present and future impact of digital learning on teacher education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Digital learning in this report is defined as any instructional practice that uses new communication technologies effectively to improve access to and strengthen learning. The focus of the report is student-teachers and teachers. The 2015–2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) explicitly seek to substantially increase the supply of well-qualified teachers in the region, drawing on international forms of development and co-operation where necessary (Goal 4)

Building new modes of teacher education: research analyses for the Teacher in Education in Sub Saharan Africa programme

The provision of basic education for all children by 2015 is now one of the world’s major educational objectives. Through UNESCO’s Education for All (EFA) commitments and the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) national and international attention has been focussed on measures to achieve this end. There has been some progress. The number of school age children with no access to schooling is dropping (from x to y in the period 1999–2005?). There is, however, some way to go in terms of the basic provision and the gender parity that the MDGs seek to achieve. Most significantly attention has now turned to the challenge of providing sufficient teachers of the appropriate quality to staff such rapid expansion. The focus of enquiry of this proposed keynote symposium is the ways in which different forms of research are contributing to: • analyses of factors impacting on teacher supply and retention; • developing conceptual understanding of the ‘life’ experiences of teachers working in challenging circumstances, with a special emphasis on female teachers in rural communities; • evidence about the nature and effectiveness of new modes of education and training. The symposium papers will explore the different research and investigative methodologies being drawn on and the different forms of international co-operation and collaboration being used. The papers will explore the issues of teacher supply, retention and education through educational and development studies, theories of change and intervention. A key issue the symposium will address is the need to bring together theoretically and through research practice the related separate specialist domains of education and development enquiry. In doing this the papers will provide a new patterning or mapping of the literature. The five papers draw particularly on the work of UNESCO, including the widely respected annual monitoring reports evaluation the progress to EFA and the new Teacher Training in Sub-Saharan Africa (TESSA) initiative (see tessaprogramme.org). One of the papers will look at the research around teachers in Sub-Saharan Africa by reference to developing country contexts in other parts of the world. It has been argued that the challenge to provide schooling and teachers for the children of Sub-Saharan Africa represents the world’s biggest educational challenge (Moon, 2007). In identifying key research findings, for example significant variables impacting on teacher supply and retention, the relationship between teacher quality and pupil achievement and comparative evidence on the effectiveness of different modes of education and training, the symposium will point to the ways in which researchers in the field of education and the research community generally can contribute to increasing capacity in this enormously important area