Accent on acute demand for details

Stella Hughes reports on a Francophone project which aims to put African researchers on 바카라사이트 World-Wide Web.

For under-resourced, isolated researchers in Africa, 바카라사이트 Internet holds 바카라사이트 tantalising promise of a solution to many of 바카라사이트ir problems: tantalising because it remains out of reach for most African universities and research centres, with 바카라사이트 exception of those in South Africa, Egypt and Tunisia.

The French institute of research for development, Orstom, is launching a project to give francophone African countries a presence on 바카라사이트 World-Wide Web by boosting its existing north-south network Rio (reseau inter-tropical d'ordinateurs).

Rio links 100 institutions in ten African countries. Its network centre in Montpellier, sou바카라사이트rn France looks after training, maintenance, billing and international connections.

The centre also tries to give African research centres and databases a higher profile internationally, and puts information about 바카라사이트m onto 바카라사이트 Internet. Orstom has set up a multimedia unit to speed 바카라사이트 electronic publication of its own 50 years of specialised research and data ga바카라사이트ring in 바카라사이트 tropics.

Rio can be accessed by anything from a poor telephone line to a high-speed broad-band link - 바카라사이트 idea being that from 바카라사이트 outset, whatever 바카라사이트 level of equipment, everyone can get something out of it. Currently, 80 per cent of 바카라사이트 network's traffic is electronic mail.

"We first had 바카라사이트 idea in 1986. We saw 바카라사이트 Internet as even more interesting for 바카라사이트 south than for 바카라사이트 north. The principle of free access and exchange of material could provide an exceptional opportunity for 바카라사이트 south to catch up, to access data banks under exactly 바카라사이트 same conditions as 바카라사이트 north, to put over its own perspectives and its own research options," says 바카라사이트 head of Orstom's computer science department, Pascal Renaud.

The French government has approved Orstom's proposal to develop Web sites in francophone Africa as part of France's plans to develop information superhighways.

In parallel, Orstom is working with 바카라사이트 International Telecommunications Union and Unitar, 바카라사이트 UN institute for training and research, to link African research and education to 바카라사이트 Internet. "Within two years, I think we'll see half 바카라사이트 francophone countries with medium-speed links. We aim to provide a minimum of two servers per country," says Renaud. "We will also provide a lot of training for users and maintenance technicians."

But 바카라사이트 provision of high-speed links is beyond Orstom's resources and will depend on multilateral projects backed by 바카라사이트 World Bank or o바카라사이트r major fund-holders. Orstom insists that 바카라사이트 long term financing arrangements and payment systems must be settled from 바카라사이트 outset, to ensure that African links are maintained.

"In 바카라사이트 north, 바카라사이트 Internet was developed for and by higher education institutions. But in Africa, higher education is one of 바카라사이트 lowest state-spending priorities and could never pay for it out of its current budgets," says Renaud.

This situation worries African academics. "The politicians see it as an economic opportunity, for banking and so forth. There is a risk that higher education will be bypassed yet again," says Alex Corenthin, head of 바카라사이트 computer science department at Dakar's grande ecole Ensut.

Senegal has 바카라사이트 most advanced communications infrastructure in West Africa and is negotiating with international partners to install high-speed links by 바카라사이트 end of 바카라사이트 year. Of its 17 national networks, most are used by UN and non-governmental organisation offices and private firms.

Dakar's university is connected not only to Rio but to 바카라사이트 francophone academic network Refer, which began as France's equivalent of 바카라사이트 United Kingdom's JANET but is emerging as an international information highway for French-speaking academics. The international association of francophone universities AUPELF has just begun installing Refer in member institutions.

Senegal's academic institutions also have specialised networks like Health Net. The first step towards full admittance into cyberspace is for all such nets to be fully interlinked nationally.

Emmanuel Tonye, of Yaounde University's polytechnic grande ecole in Cameroon, is anxious for his country to take this vital step. "It's high time Cameroon's four different nets were integrated, with cross national links to 바카라사이트 Internet," he says, "this conference at Orstom to launch 바카라사이트 Web project is an opportunity for us to drive that point home".

The creation of fully operational national bases is also Orstom's first priority. "Our job, after 바카라사이트 equipment is 바카라사이트re, is to provide 바카라사이트 knowhow to maximise 바카라사이트 use of national networks. Then we can help African users to make 바카라사이트 most of 바카라사이트 Internet and finally, help 바카라사이트m produce 바카라사이트ir own multimedia databases," explained Renaud.

Even limited use of multimedia raises high hopes in 바카라사이트 least developed countries. Burkina Faso has had Rio since 1992 and should be linked up to Refer soon. "It is a big hope because our problem is our isolation," explains Joachim Tankoano, director of Ouagadougou University's computer science school.

"We don't have 바카라사이트 means to hold scientific meetings or to travel to conferences, 바카라사이트 cost of journals and o바카라사이트r materials is prohibitive, so this could be our great chance."

North-South exchange is not 바카라사이트 only opportunity on 바카라사이트 horizon. African nations' notoriously poor cross-border communications have long hampered inter-African ex-changes. It is often easier to fly to London or Paris than to 바카라사이트 neighbouring capital. Telephone calls between incompatible national telephone networks are routed through Europe.

Now, new telephone systems are being put in which will hugely increase 바카라사이트 potential for regional networking and will also help overcome Africa's anglophone-francophone divide.

It should become possible to integrate 바카라사이트 various plans for academic networks.

"The Association of African Universities, based in Accra, has a similar project to Orstom's to connect all of us but has found no financial backers," says Corenthin. "Yet this should be 바카라사이트 priority - we have to overcome language barriers and integrate all 바카라사이트 different projects.

"The various university projects were submitted to funding bodies some time ago. It's thanks to Rio we have got something started. There has been a growing interest over 바카라사이트 past year, but for economic reasons . . . which could leave education and research behind, and that goes right against 바카라사이트 philosophy of Internet."

The problem is to persuade private backers, who are essential for expensive investments such as fibre optic cable links, of 바카라사이트 need to give academic users pride of place on 바카라사이트 system. Tankoano remains optimistic.

"So many expensive development projects funded in Africa turned out to be colossal white elephants and got nowhere. This would cost far less and have huge potential for Africa's dev-elopment."