Bayero University Kano. Nigeria.

Information and Communication Technology Profile

19th July 2002

Status of Internet connectivity

• From using a couple of UUCP nodes for email (Internet) access in 1997 the University ICT capability has improved to having two Internet cafés in 2002. One of the cafes is connected to the Internet via dial-up and the other via wireless; all provided by the same ISP (Electronic Connections Ltd, Kano).

• The bandwidths for the two cafes are 56kbps and 64kbps respectively. These are not sufficient for the staff and student populations. Many leave the crowded campus cafes and go to town in order to browse.

• By the way things are going, BUK will need more than 128kbps in a year’s time. It is planned that a VSAT will be installed soon.

• It is difficult to know the exact figure but in the next five years BUK will need more than 512kbps bandwidth.

• Cost of bandwidth:

ICT Strategic Planning

• Bayero University recognized that ICT would be a very efficient instrument for achieving its academic objectives. Therefore ICT development plan is incorporated into the University’s overall strategic plan. The ICT plan is divided into two parts; one part dealing with academic structure and the other dealing with the ICT infrastructure that will support the academic structure.

• The execution of these plans will depend on the implementation committee inaugurated by the University. In the short term, however, the MacArthur Foundation Grant Implementation Committee of the University is responsible of seeing to the implementation of some of these plans.

University LANs

• There are now four networks on the campus, one of which contains as many as 35 terminals. The fifth one will have been installed by October 2002. There is a small LAN of three computers at the Center for Democratic Research and Training, which is in the process of being expanded to include terminals.

• There is no Wide Area Network (WAN) at the moment of writing in BUK, but it is in the University’s overall ICT infrastructure plan and will be installed in future.

ICT Usage

• Many students and most of the staff use search engines to access research information and other academic materials on the Internet.

• Although all staff and some students can have email address on the University server not all the staff (and students) have easy access to computers. The number of computers is by far insufficient to cater for the demand. In fact that’s why email account cannot be opened for all students on the University email server (otherwise, due to the small numbers of computers, students can spend hours before they can get their hands on a free terminal).

• The inadequacy of the number of computers is a problem for staff and students. They do not like competing for a terminal with each other.

• Due to the cost of the Internet access set by the ISP and maintenance purposes it is necessary to embark on cost recovery exercise. Therefore people are charged for using the Internet café. The cost for accessing the Internet is N250 per hour (about $2 per hour).

ICT Software

• 99% of the machines that are in BUK use Microsoft Windows operating system. The office applications are also from Microsoft. Computer usage training that is currently going on in the University for administrative staff centers around Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel and PowerPoint).

• The University email server is using Linux. There is also another server based on Windows NT. The latter is the University’s intranet (web server), although changes have now been made to make the web server Linux based as well.

• Although not fully operational, the University library is installing Alice library software. It should be operational by mid-August 2002.

ICT Funding

• The funding for ICT is mainly from the University (Federal Government) and from donors. The government funding is by far too small to realize our plans.

• A significant part of BUK’s ICT plans are being implemented using a grant from the MacArthur Foundation.

Human Resource Needs

• The human resource is generally insufficient as far as ICT maintenance is concerned. The NUNet in BUK can provide 24 hours service, but it actually provides 8hrs service because all the staff close at 4pm (they work 8am – 4pm).

• Due to lack of human resources there may be no surfing or emailing on weekends! This is a drawback.

Major Challenges

• The major challenge to the implementation of ICT in BUK and indeed in may parts of Nigeria are three:

(1) Funding: the funding is too small to implement meaningful ICT plans.

(2) Power: The power supply is unreliable for sustaining ICT infrastructure.

(3) Communication: The communication system and the policies surrounding it restricts and indeed limit ICT implementation.

Success Story

• In BUK challenge number (2) was overcome to some extent by use of the combination of the University Generator and a backup power supply.

• Substantial funding for ICT was granted by the MacArthur Foundation in 2002.

• Some of the strategic ICT plans are beginning to be implemented as a result of the funding.

• Although there is no department that is actively/creatively using ICT in all of its activities, BUK feels that the above is a success towards achieving the use of ICT everywhere in the University.