The First General Assembly of the NigerREN was held on Saturday, December 15, 2013 at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in the University of Niamey.   Professor Habibou Abarchi, Rector of the Université Abdou Moumouni and chair of the NigerREN board of directors presided over the meeting which was attended by representatives from the Universities of Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder and Say.  

Other participants included officials from research institutions,  major public schools, private higher education and the head of the National Museum Boubou Hama.  The Secretary General of the Ministry in charge of ICT and telecom operator SAHELCOM were also present.

Professor Abarchi emphasized that with the impending connection of member institutions to national fiber optic backbone in 2013, the NigerREN community should actively seek to exploit this opportunity to maximize the ICT benefits.

In line with this direction, one of the items on the agenda was the adoption of an Action Plan for 2013 which included:

  • the design and implementation of Campus Networks in member institutions and their interconnection;

  • the definition and the implementation of digital services and the acquisition of equipment and infrastructure for fixed and mobile access within each institution of NigerREN.

In line with the NigerREN committment to Open Source Software and Open Educational Resources (OER),  the Assembly General endorsed the participation of NigerREN in the WACREN EduERP project.

 

At the end of event, the newly elected Chairman of the Board of Directors NigerREN, Pr Motcho Kokou Henry, Rector of the University of Zinder welcomed the awareness and commitment shared by all participants to resolutely face the issues and challenges of the availability of connectivity.  He reassured the membership that the Board will continue to work with the political authorities and telecom operators for the availability of broadband access and implementation of policies and regulations favorable for affordable connectivity in research and education institutions of Niger.

 
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