The Tanzanian Education and Research Network, (TERNET) in April 2017 appointed Dr. Magreth Mushi as its new CEO replacing Dr. Amosi Nungu who has been moved to the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology in the department of Science, Technology and Innovation.
Confirming her appointment, Dr. Mushi, who previously served as Deputy CEO for the NREN, said her vision is to make TERNET “a one stop shop” for education and research institution technology needs but said her immediate priority is to enhance value added services for the NRENs members.
A holder of a PhD in Computer Science, Dr. Mushi says time has come for African NRENs to facilitate the uptake of research and education network saying although some NRENs have made progress there are still many challenges affecting the performance of NRENs on the continent.
“African NRENs have a vision and are moving forward to realize that vision but there are roadblocks. These roadblocks are at different levels of establishment as NRENs with enough government support seem to be well established compared to NRENs with little or no support. It goes without doubt that NRENs are important in improving education and research in the country. Therefore, government and other stakeholder’s approval and support is crucial for the establishment of NRENs.”
The Open University of Tanzania Lecturer also emphasized the need for strong Regional Research and Education Networks like UbuntuNet Alliance.
“As important as the NREN is to the country, regional bodies like UbuntuNet Alliance are very crucial to the region since they build NRENs human capacity, solve regional problems through research and provide regional connectivity. It is therefore important to ensure that NREN members are doing their best to make the REN vibrant for them to be able to get the maximum benefits.”