WACREN receives cloud upgrade to fuel research in Africa

West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN) has received a cloud infrastructure upgrade to fuel Africa’s research
capabilities.

According to a statement, the newly established private cloud infrastructure will serve universities, research and education networks across the region, providing a robust, secure, and scalable platform designed to meet the unique needs of the academic and research
community.

This project, supported by the AfricaConnect3 project, and co-funded by the European Commission is hosted in Nigeria.

Key features of the cloud infrastructure also include its high performance and scalability, engineered to handle large-scale data and computational needs, ensuring seamless scalability as demand increases.

The platform also incorporates cutting-edge security protocols to ensure high-level data protection and integrity.

Boubakar Barry, CEO of WACREN, notes that “The WACREN Cloud upgrade marks a significant step forward for us as it will enhance our capacity to serve national research and education networks (NRENs) and their communities across our region.

He added, “We will leverage the capabilities of this new cluster to drive our suite of community-driven platforms and services. We look forward to the tremendous impact the expanded infrastructure will have on fostering research and innovation excellence across West and Central Africa.”

WACREN’s vision is to enable a connected African research and education community, driving collaboration, innovation, and excellence in education and research across the region.

“We are honoured to have been selected by WACREN and the AfricaConnect3 project for this transformative initiative,” Oyaje Idoko, Layer3 CEO.

“Our team is excited to have delivered this world-class cloud infrastructure that will empower the educational and research community in West and Central Africa, driving innovation and excellence. This project underscores our commitment to providing top-tier IT solutions that support academic and research excellence,” he added.

Other features in the infrastructure include reliability, customizable solutions, and ease of integration.

This world-class private cloud infrastructure is a significant milestone for the educational and the research sectors in West and Central Africa
as the project will enhance research capabilities.

Researchers and educators will have access to powerful computational resources and collaborative tools, to facilitate groundbreaking research and innovation that will ultimately lead to development in the region.