As the 17th annual research and education networking conference for Eastern and Southern Africa approaches, excitement is building within the community. This year’s UbuntuNet-Connect conference, set against the stunning backdrop of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, will be hosted at the beautiful White Sands Resort on the 31st of October and the 1st of November 2024. Organized by the Tanzania Education and Research Network (TERNET), the conference promises to be a pivotal event under the theme “Maximizing Technological Advancements for Research and Education.”
Registration for UbuntuNet-Connect 2024 opened on the 3rd of July, offering participants the chance to secure their spots at early bird rates. As the early bird window draws to a close on the 31st of August, it’s clear that many attendees have capitalized on this opportunity. For those who missed out, there’s still time to join the conference during the normal registration period from the 1st to the 30th of September. During this period, participants from African institutions can register for a fee of $150, while those from the rest of the world can secure their place for $300.
This year’s conference has generated considerable buzz, particularly with the announcement of a stellar lineup of keynote speakers. These distinguished individuals, each a leader in their respective fields, are set to bring a wealth of knowledge and inspiration to the event. Among them are:
- Ana Alves, Chief Information Security Officer & Data Protection Officer at GÉANT.
- Antonio Carrozzo, AWS EMEA Education Lead.
- Erik Huizer, CEO of GÉANT.
- Sonia Barbosa, Associate Director of Dataverse Support, Data Curation, and the Murray Archive, The Dataverse Project, Data Science at Harvard University.
- Robin Njiru, Regional Lead, Public Sector, Sub-Saharan Africa for AWS.
These keynote speakers, along with a diverse group of presenters selected through a rigorous abstract review process, will cover a wide range of topics aligned with the conference’s theme. Sessions will delve into Internet connectivity, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, high-performance computing, open science, equity and diversity, and more. The full conference programme, which promises to be both informative and inspiring, is available on the official conference webpage.
A notable feature of UbuntuNet-Connect 2024 conference is the pre-conference workshops taking place. This will include the second UbuntuNet Alliance women hackathon. A follow up to its predecessor which took place at UbuntuNet-Connect 2023. In a similar vain, the women hackathon this year is set to bring together several groups of young women in tech who will compete by developing tools aimed at advancing research and education in Africa. They will be given the opportunity to be fully funded to attend the entire UbuntuNet-Connect 2024 conference and to showcase their work at the closing plenary of the event, With the call for proposals still open, participants are encouraged to make their applications. Additionally, the preconference events will feature an Open Science training for Librarians aimed at equipping them with the knowledge and skills to navigate the digital advancements that continue to arise in the region.
UbuntuNet Alliance and TERNET are eager to welcome all practitioners in the research and education community, both from Africa and around the world, to this year’s UbuntuNet-Connect conference. This event is not just an opportunity to share knowledge and experiences but also a platform to forge new partnerships and collaborations that will shape the future of research and education on the continent.