The goal was to discuss and advance the 2026–2029 strategic framework and improve institutional alignment for the next growth phase. This retreat marked an important turning point as WACREN plans to become a digital public infrastructure and platform supporting research, education, AI, and climate science across West and Central Africa. Discussions centred on five connected programmatic pillars that shape WACREN’s strategy. The first pillar is about regional digital infrastructure and backbone excellence; open science platforms and data sovereignty; trust, federated identity, and cyber resilience; NREN maturity and capacity building through the Africa Training Initiative; and sustainability, partnerships, and institutional resilience. The WACREN team also discussed three flagship platform programs that bring these pillars together into impactful delivery models. The programmes are Africa Digital Campus & Distributed University Platform, EduAI: Regional AI for Education & Open Science, and CLIMET: Climate & Environmental Digital Infrastructure. Together, the pillars and flagship programmes reflect a coherent strategy to position WACREN as a trusted regional platform operator, enabling national sovereignty, regional integration, and global participation in science, education, and innovation.
