MainOne partners with West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN) to boost connectivity in research and education institutions

The reliable internet connectivity solution provided by MainOne guarantees a sustainable high-capacity data network that serves higher education and research institutions across the region

LAGOS, Nigeria, January 24, 2018/ -- Following a highly competitive and non-discriminatory bidding process involving leading communications operators in Africa, leading Connectivity and Data Center solutions provider, MainOne (www.MainOne.net) has emerged winner of a 15-year contract with the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN) (www.WACREN.net) to provide high-speed bandwidth services. WACREN, the regional research and education network (REN) that facilitates interconnections between national RENs in West and Central Africa will use MainOne to provide high-speed backbone data services including internet access to schools, colleges and universities, research and the general academic community across West and central Africa.

This long-awaited contract was initiated under the AfricaConnect2 programme and is expected to leverage MainOne’s open-access submarine cable to introduce improvements in education, leverage Information and Communications Technology (ICT) to support availability of open educational resources, introduce correspondence courses and foster MOOC tradition and democratizing the learning experience.

Speaking on the partnership, Boubakar Barry, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of WACREN, underlined the importance of connecting the region to high-speed connectivity services aimed at fostering better collaboration among its members and with other professional colleagues in other parts of the world and reiterating the pose of WACREN to emerge as Africa’s leading research and education network. “This is a big step for the REN and academic communities in West and Central Africa and will ensure that our members are better equipped to provide premium research and education services”.

Funke Opeke, CEO of MainOne commended the commitment of WACREN to connect regional researchers to the global research and education communities across the world. “MainOne was borne out of a passion to close the digital divide in West Africa and this agreement with WACREN leverages our capacity and provides us the opportunity to get all Research and Educational institutions in West Africa connected within themselves and to the rest of the world. We are delighted to have won this bid and believe we will add value to institutions in our region with our cost effective and innovative connectivity solutions”.

The reliable internet connectivity solution provided by MainOne guarantees a sustainable high-capacity data network that serves higher education and research institutions across the region. The company already provides connectivity solutions to 20+ tertiary institutions across West Africa.

AfricaConnect2 is an EU-funded pan-African connectivity project that aims to support the development and consolidation of high-capacity regional internet networks for R&E across Africa and their interconnection with the pan-European GÉANT network, creating a continental gateway for collaborative research and education across and beyond Africa.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of MainOne.



Media contact:
Temitope Osunrinde
Temitope.Osunrinde@MainOne.net

About WACREN:
WACREN (www.WACREN.net) is the West and Central African Research and Education Network which supports interconnections and fosters collaboration between R&E institutions in the region and international peers by building and operating a world class network infrastructure, developing state of the art services, promoting collaboration among national, regional, and international R&E communities, and building the human capacity of the REN community. Constituted in 2010, membership is open to all 22 countries in the region and it currently has 12 participating NRENs from Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and Togo.  WACREN has also two Associate members from France and Nigeria. For more information, visit www.WACREN.net

About MainOne:
MainOne (www.MainOne.net) is West Africa’s leading connectivity and data center solutions provider. We are the first choice for wholesale internet, enterprise services, cloud solutions and managed data services for businesses with global scale ambitions. We operate the only Tier III certified data center in West Africa with ISO 27001 and PCI DSS. Our cost effective and innovative solutions are such that businesses that partner with us are fully empowered to meet the needs of today’s market and also prepared for tomorrow’s growth opportunities. Additional information can be found on www.MainOne.net

SOURCE
MainOne