Women in WACREN 2024: Driving Innovation in Climate and Weather Data Analysis

Approximately 90 ambitious women from across the WACREN region have received a significant boost in their journey to harness Python for climate and weather data analysis. Two impactful workshops held over four days in Accra and three days in Abidjan combined in-depth theoretical insights with engaging hands-on training sessions.

Participants delved into the use of Python for critical applications such as data visualisation, statistical analysis, and pre-processing of climate datasets. The curriculum also featured advanced discussions on integrating IoT and AI technologies into climate science, emphasising innovative approaches to tackle pressing environmental challenges. 

Sessions covered open science principles and introduced collaborative tools like GitLab to further equip attendees for impactful research and collaboration, fostering a strong culture of transparency and teamwork. These workshops empowered women with practical skills and nurtured a vibrant community of technologists, encouraging networking and long-term collaborations.

The initiative highlights WACREN’s commitment to capacity-building and inclusivity, paving the way for more women to lead transformative climate science and technology projects.  Watch workshop highlights and hear inspiring testimonies here.

 

Driving Open Science in West Africa: Highlights from the 2nd LIBSENSE-Connect Workshop

The second LIBSENSE-Connect Workshop was crucial in advancing the LIBSENSE initiative’s mission to establish sustainable, shared platforms for open science and access across West Africa. As part of this broader effort, the workshop brought together researchers, librarians, and IT professionals to foster collaboration and address challenges in managing and disseminating research outputs in the region.

Participants discussed the need for a national shared repository platform to overcome challenges such as limited technical resources, outdated software, and low compliance with international standards like OAI-PMH, which affect Nigeria’s 41 institutional repositories. The workshop emphasised integrating these repositories into global infrastructures while meeting national and institutional needs.

Facilitators recommended WEKO3, an open-source multi-tenanted repository platform, as a cost-effective and scalable solution to support resource pooling and align with international standards. The workshop, aligned with the WACREN-NII MOU on Open Science, emphasised shared infrastructure and regional collaboration—core goals of the LIBSENSE initiative. It has laid the groundwork for a more interconnected and sustainable African research ecosystem by fostering partnerships and advancing open science practices.

Learn more about this initiative and watch the workshop highlights in the full report and video.

 

Advancing Cybersecurity in Africa: TrustBroker Africa (TBA) IV

The SIM3 Auditor Certification Training provided a comprehensive understanding of the framework, enabling participants to audit and enhance the maturity of CSIRTs (Computer Security Incident Response Teams).

Participants explored SIM3’s key parameters—organisational, human, tools, and process—learning to optimise team structures, select tools, and improve incident response workflows. Hands-on sessions and real-world scenarios equipped attendees to implement and audit SIM3 processes effectively.

A notable aspect was integrating sessions on Shadowserver tools for cyber threat intelligence (CTI), which allowed participants to analyse vulnerabilities, monitor compromised devices, and respond to threats. Practical exercises reinforced how CTI enhances network defences. This blend of theory and practice positions attendees to strengthen their organisations’ cybersecurity maturity and contributes to a more secure and resilient digital ecosystem across Africa.

 

BGP Workshop

The workshop on Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) for WACREN’s NRENs members equipped participants with advanced knowledge and practical skills in managing network routing, emphasising route selection, policy implementation, scaling, and troubleshooting. Through hands-on labs and collaborative discussions, attendees learned to integrate BGP into their networks, connect to the WACREN infrastructure, and acquire public IP addresses, fostering independent network operations. The training’s outcomes included enhanced technical expertise, the ability to address complex routing challenges, and a sustainable knowledge transfer model, empowering participants to contribute to their networks’ efficiency and long-term development.

 

Advancing Digital Identity in Sierra Leone: Trust and Identity Management Roadshow

The Identity Federation and Access Management workshop in Sierra Leone marked a crucial milestone in establishing the SLREN (eduID.sl) identity federation. Designed to build local capacity, the workshop trained IT engineers from SLREN-affiliated institutions in the core principles of Identity and Access Management (IAM) within a federated environment. 

Key achievements included creating nine institutional Identity Providers (IdPs) integrated into SLREN’s eduID platform. This advancement enables secure, streamlined access to educational and research services while fostering collaboration across institutions. Participants also explored practical Single Sign-On (SSO) applications, including integration with the WACREN eduID Federation, to enhance user experience and efficiency.

The workshop emphasised governance, technical, and policy frameworks essential for the sustainability of the SLREN identity federation. A standout highlight was the introduction and deployment of eduroam in Sierra Leone. This marks a transformative step in connecting Sierra Leone to the global research and education network community.

 

Driving eduroam Expansion in Nigeria: Highlights from the Implementation Workshop.

The Implementing eduroam on a Campus Network Workshop, held at the University of Lagos from October 9–11, 2024, significantly advanced eduroam deployment capabilities within Nigerian institutions. Participants from various universities engaged in theoretical and hands-on sessions to enhance their understanding and practical skills in deploying eduroam infrastructure. Key outcomes included successfully setting up functional eduroam Identity Providers (IdPs) and Service Providers (SPs), configuring Network Access Servers (NAS), and testing user authentication for both local and visiting users. The workshop also explored tools like eduroam CAT and Switchboard, providing attendees with practical experience configuring and managing eduroam services.

The final day featured an intensive deployathon, during which participants fully applied their knowledge to deploy and test eduroam setups in a real-world environment. These efforts laid the foundation for expanding secure, seamless Wi-Fi access across campuses in Nigeria, fostering global academic collaboration and connectivity.  Read more: Workshop Report

 

AfricaConnect Climate Meeting and Workshop on IoT-Based Acquisition of Research Data for Scientific Computing

The Trieste meeting set the stage for a multistakeholder collaboration to deploy a regional climate data infrastructure to support broad-based climate and weather research and data analysis for decision-making. This initiative will leverage NREN infrastructure and high-performance computing (HPC) centres, aligning with the next phase of the AfricaConnect project to enhance climate research and data-sharing capabilities. This presentation shows how WACREN plans to build an ecosystem of networked climate infrastructure under the AfricaConnect project.

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