October 31-November 1, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Theme: Maximizing Technological Advancements in Research and Education

UbuntuNet Alliance promotes research and education networking in East and Southern Africa. This year’s conference theme underscores our commitment to exploring the transformative power of technology in research and education. The conference shall discuss how upgrades to network infrastructures, Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, High-Performance Computing, and Open Science, among other things, can enhance the quality, reach, and impact of research and education pursuits within the UbuntuNet Alliance region and beyond.

The UbuntuNet Connect 2024 Conference theme, therefore, looks broadly at the issues surrounding technological advancements in research and education. Keynote presentations, panel discussions, and paper presentations are invited that address topics and anchor discussions on the conference theme.

Guest of Honour

Hon. Jerry William Silaa, Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Tanzania

Minister for Information, Communication and Information Technology, Tanzania

Keynote Speakers

Dr. Elizabeth Mkoba, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology

Senior Lecturer and Researcher in the School of Computational and Communication Science and Engineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Tanzania. Elizabeth received her BSc. in Computer Science from Osmania University, India, in 1997 and her MSc. Computer Science with AI from the Central South University, China, in 2003. She received an MBA from the Open University of Tanzania in 2008. Elizabeth has a PhD in Information Technology Management from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2018. Postdoctoral Research Fellow from the University of Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2020. She has acquired skills in Cybersecurity: Managing Risk in the Information Age (Cybersecurity Governance and Risk Management) from Harvard University, USA; Ethics in AI from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK; Banks Corporate Strategy with ESG from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Corporate Governance from Istanbul, Turkey; and Effective Risk Management Audit from Mauritius. Her research interests include AI Governance and Ethics in AI; Cybersecurity Governance and Risk Management; IT project management audit & assurance, and Project success; ESG and sustainability; AI in project management, health, agriculture, government and SMEs; Digital Marketing. She is a Board Director of the CRDB Bank Burundi (CRDB Bank is a leading commercial bank in Tanzania); Board Director Commonwealth Study Conference Global Alumni Organisation, UK; Board Member of The Duke of Edinburgh’s Global Emerging Leaders Commonwealth Study Conference for Africa continent (CSC Africa). She is an expert mentor of the Heidelberg Laureate Forum Foundation (HLFF) Inspiring Minds Mentorship Program for young global researchers of mathematics and computer science, MCI – The Entrepreneurial School, Austria and Germany.

Antonio Carrozzo, Amazon Web Services

EMEA Education – OCRE Lead

Mr. Antonio CARROZZO is responsible for leading the AWS EMEA Education team, which encompasses strategic programs and multiple-county frame agreements (UbuntunNET, OCRE, CRUI, CSUC).  Antonio’s international career includes 35+ years of experience in different industries, including manufacturing, finance, telco, logistics, and retail in addition to his experience in Education sector. Fully certified on Cloud and AI solutions from a technical and business side, Antonio helps countries, institutions and NREs leveraging AWS cloud for Education innovation, transformation that generates impacts at country level. Antonio’s experience is enhanced by his position as CEO of a telco infrastructure company and multiple international roles at Amazon, Microsoft, and Nokia.

Erik Huizer, GÉANT

CEO, GÉANT

Sonia Barbosa, Harvard University

Associate Director of Dataverse Support, Data Curation, and the Murray Archive
The Dataverse Project, Data Science
Harvard University

Robin Njiru, Amazon Web Services

Regional Lead, Public Sector, Sub-Saharan Africa

Robin is responsible for leading AWS Public Sector business strategy and guiding the company’s growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In his role with AWS, Robin and his team support organizations to leverage the unique advantage of cloud computing and helps drive innovation in government, healthcare, education and non-profit organizations. Robin is a tenured business leader with over 20 years of experience in General Management, Strategic operations and Business Development. He has extensive experience leading business teams in multinationals & engaging with multiple industries across the African territory- having led regional teams in technology companies such as Microsoft, SAP and Computer Revolution Africa. Robin has overseen multiple market and technology realignments necessitated by a rapidly changing business environment in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Ana Alves, GÉANT

Chief Information Security Officer & Data Protection Officer

Joined GEANT in October 2017 as a Data Protection Officer (DPO), and steadily progressed within the growing team and was recently appointed Chief Information Security Officer (CISO). Ana is currently the Security Coordinator for the GN5-1 project and will soon take on the role of Task Lead in the GN5-2 project. Additionally, she is leading the Security Bootcamps project. Prior to GEANT, she worked as an ISO 27001 Auditor, gaining extensive expertise in information security management. Ana’s diverse skill set and commitment to cybersecurity have been crucial in shaping her professional journey.

Topics

  • Network Connectivity – Explores the current landscape of connectivity and advancements in networking technologies including remote connectivity solutions and the adoption of IPv6 across Africa.
  • Emerging Digital Technologies – These technologies include artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, Geographic Information Systems, Internet of Things (IoT), and big data analytics. How have they been leveraged in support of research and education? What are some of the new technologies coming out of our region?
  • Open Science – Presentation of digital tools and platforms supporting availability and use of open science. What are some of the successful use cases?
  • Cloud Computing Solutions – Evaluating the benefits and challenges of cloud-based services and infrastructure for research data management, scalable computing, and collaborative projects.
  • Digital Inclusion and Accessibility – Addressing the importance of ensuring equitable access to technology and digital resources for all learners and researchers, including those with disabilities and from under-served communities.

  • Ethical Considerations in Technology Integration – Discuss ethical frameworks, responsible AI practices, and societal implications of technology adoption in research and education.

  • High-Performance Computing for Advanced Research – Delving into utilising HPC systems, parallel computing architectures, and distributed computing frameworks to accelerate scientific simulations, modelling, and data-intensive computations in research fields.

Who Should Attend/Why should you attend?

  • College and University ICT Directors (or equivalent) and Librarians – Opportunity to present on the extent of digitalisation in your institution, learn from others as well as gather information and hold discussions on challenges faced, potential digital solutions, and opportunities for collaboration.
  • Researchers, academics, students – Share how you are using digital technologies and the UbuntuNet Alliance/NREN research and education network to support your research, teaching and learning as well as on future directions. Provides opportunities to learn and form new collaborations across the continent.
  • Government officers (related to ICT and Education) –  Expound on your government’s current and future policies, actions, and plans in stimulating the redesign of digitalised African universities. Gives you an opportunity to learn from what is happening in other countries.
  • Private/Industry – Present case studies on the emerging digital technologies in support of the digitalised African University. You have the opportunity to learn and discuss about the challenges universities face, present solutions, seek potential business.
  •   NREN Community – opportunity  to listen to the voice of the customer and learn areas where the services offered by NRENs can be catalyst of and anchor of the redesigned digital college and university.

Timelines

  • March 11, Call for papers presentations and panel discussions – CLOSED.
  • June 3 – August 31, Early Bird Registration – CLOSED
  • September 1-30, Regular Registration – CLOSED
  • October 31-November 1, UbuntuNet-Connect 2024.

Sponsorship

UbuntuNet Connect 2024 presents a rare opportunity for companies and organisations with a national, regional or global footprint to to meet Africa’s research and education networking community and market their products and services.

Reasons to Sponsor

  1. Thought Leadership – Position your products, services, and executives as key players in the research and education community.
  2.  Networking – Gain face-to-face access and directly contact typically hard to reach decision-makers and education community.
  3. Branding – The sponsorship will give your company or organisation visibility that it needs in the African research and education community.

Venue

White Sands Resort and Conference Centre

Situated on a private beach 25 km North of Dar es Salaam and Julius Nyerere International Airport.  The facility is the long white sandy Mbezi Beach.

Key Links

Alternative Accommodation Options

Seascape Hotel

5 minutes walk to white sands hotel

Discount code: ubnet

Contact

Ragesh Gangadharan
+255 785 71 61 99
info@hotelseascape.co.tz
hotelseascape.co.tz/

Discount code: ubnet

Landmark Mbezi Beach Resort

5 minutes walk to white sands hotel

Discount Code: UbuntuNET

Contact

+255 686 911 991, sales@landmarkresort.co.tz

landmarkresort.co.tz/

Discount Code: UbuntuNET

Jangwani Sea Breese Hotel

5 minutes walk to white sands hotel

Contact

Ramada Resort

10 minutes drive to white sands hotel

Discount Code: UBUNTU MEETING

Contact

+255 753 333 800, snm@ramadaresortdar.com

wyndhamhotels.com/ramada

Discount Code: UBUNTU MEETING

Giraffe Beach Hotel

10 minutes drive to White Sands Hotel

Discount Code: UBUNTU MEETING

Contact

255-222-218-111, sales@giraffebh.com

 giraffebh.com

Discount Code: UBUNTU MEETING

Scenes from UbuntuNet Connect 2023

Co-Funded by

Diamond Sponsors

Gold Sponsors

Silver Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

BERNET

UbuntuNet-Connect2024 -
October 31-November 1, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania​

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