WACREN Conference in the user community is a step in the right direction 

Members of the  research and education community have commended WACREN for holding the 7th annual conference in a university, saying this was a step in the right direction.

This year’s Conference, staged at Université Félix Houphouët Boigny (UFHB), was the first to be held in a typical university community in the WACREN region, and it aimed to enhance the relationship and appreciate the needs of the user community. 

“This year’s Conference was intentionally sited on a university campus. The reason is simple – we wanted to build closer ties with the users and potential users of our network and services. Doing that helped us appreciate the dynamics underpinning usage of our network and services, as well as sensing the challenges faced.” Dr Boubakar Barry, CEO of WACREN said.

In a commendation to WACREN, the Vice-President of UFHB said WACREN’s decision is a testimony to how the regional REN values its connections with its growing user population, especially the Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). He deemed it was an honour for his university to host such an international event.  

The Director-General of UVCI, Prof. Tiemoman Koné expressed delight at the opportunity to host the flagship event on Ivorian soil for a second time. He assured WACREN of continued support towards  an Open Science action plan for Côte d’Ivoire. 

Several students and researchers who participated in the Conference were full of praise of WACREN for deciding to host the Conference in their centre of studies. Many of them who spoke to WACREN said they learnt a lot about research and education networks and their value through the contents shared by various speakers and panelists at the Conference.