[Community] Updates on NgREN consolidation and expansion

[MT Usman]

Dear All, this is to share with you updates on NgREN activities.

Following the successful commissioning of the NgREN on the 8th of July, the
Team here completed the development of documents to guide the network's
operations as a full-fledged corporate entity limited by guarantee. These
were approved  by the NgREN Board at its second meeting held on the 26th of
August 2014 (http://ngren.edu.ng/news/ngren-board-holds-second-meeting) and
arrangements are in full throttle to implement these decisions in due
course. It is also pertinent to inform you that the Association of Vice
Chancellors of Nigerian Universities (AVCNU) has endorsed the network's
membership and service subscription fee regime and many universities have
either paid their fees or have written to authorise the Tertiary Education
Trust Fund (TETFund) to pay the NgREN on their behalf.

We are also pleased to inform you that the President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria has been briefed on the NgREN implementation at a
meeting in his office on 8th of September 2014 (
http://ngren.edu.ng/news/president-jonathan-commends-ngren-assures-on-expansion-of-network).
He was excited at the progress made so far and as a result of the
administration's renewed commitment, efforts have commenced to expand the
network to connect all public (federal and state) universities in the first
instance, and subsequently, all public polytechnics, colleges of education
and research institutes. The goal is to interconnect and provide them with
IT services in aid of their teaching, research and community service
mandates. Thus, all the higher education institutions and research
institutes in Nigeria will soon become physically connected to the NgREN.

You will recall that as a complementary intervention, the Federal Ministry
of Communications Technology through the Universal Service Provision Fund
(USPF) of the Nigerian Communications Commission is linking all teaching
hospitals with their corresponding medical colleges and host university
main campuses by fibre. The contracts have since been awarded by the USPF
and work is ongoing.

Meetings of the NgREN Technical Working Groups (constituted in the course
of the cluster Operational Readiness Workshops held in April and May this
year) are being planned to hold soon to discuss and fine-tune plans
especially with respect to the roll-out of services on the network.

Please follow us on Twitter *@NigerianREN* and like our Facebook page,
*Nigerian
Research and Education Network* for regular information on ongoing
activities.

Best regards.

-- 
M. T. Usman
Nigerian Research and Education Network,
Peter Okebukola Building,
National Universities Commission,
26, Aguiyi Ironsi Street,
Maitama, Abuja.
Tel (Office): +234 9 460 2962
Tel (Mobile):+234 816 384 6135
Skype: usmanmt
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