By David Tash Lumu
WEEKLY OBSERVER
The Cisco safari academy conference which was held at Makerere
University, Faculty of Computing and Information Technology
last week, provided an opportunity for participants to engage
and learn the latest network developments.
The conference organised by Cisco, a worldwide networking
firm for internet, takes place every year in different African
countries and attracts Cisco experts and computing instructors
from different regional institutions that deliver Cisco
programmes.
The conference focused on ways through which instructors
can teach students relevant technology skills and how to
employ these skills to bridge the growing skills shortage
in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector.
The two-day conference gathered ICT instructors and trainers
from East Africa and Central African countries who shared
expertise on Cisco telepresence system that enables multipoint
meetings and other Cisco programmes such as Cisco Certified
Network Associate (CCNA), Digital Subscriber Line and Cisco
Certified Internet Work Expert (CCIE).
Instructors from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia
and Democratic Republic of Congo further got trained in
essential Information Technology skills with a special workshop
on the adoption of a global e-learning curriculum that is
not only relevant to students but opens the employment opportunity
door in the global marketplace.
The new changes in the Cisco Networking Programme cater
for the changing view of ICT careers in the world.
Cisco systems have over 300 Networking Academies in Africa
and Uganda is host to 16 of these Institutions. According
to Hital Muraj the Cisco Academy Manager in East Africa
the conference provided instructors with the basic knowledge
on networking systems and also acquainted them with techniques
of teaching students the new concepts learned.
“The conference debated new changes in networking
and also trained new instructors and other participants
on how to employ these new techniques so that the digital
gap in Africa can be bridged,” said Hital.
However, the Minister of Information and Communications
Technology, Dr. Ham Mukasa Mulira who opened this brain
storming conference on ICT development in Africa recognised
the need for Cisco to engage in a grass root-penetrating
campaign so that the remote areas are not left out in the
networking technology drive.
“Government has a focused approach on the convergence
of technology…but there’s also a need to increase
ICT literacy in this region and Cisco should take the driver’s
seat in bringing the information age to all in Africa,”
said Mulira.
Progress
Since the approval of the Makerere Faculty of Computing
and Information Technology as a regional Cisco academy in
2004, the faculty has grown into one of the main computing
and ICT training, research and consultancy centres in East
Africa.
Indeed, hosting the ended African Safari Cisco Academy
Instructors Conference was an indication that Cisco systems
are ready to deliver and share skills with the university.
“The future of Uganda lies in ICT and we cannot
afford to lose the chance Cisco is providing to the University
and Uganda at large. We need to emphasise the knowledge
economy as a way to make Uganda one of the major ICT baskets
in the world,” said Prof. Venansius Baryamureeba the
Dean of Faculty of Computing and Information Technology
at Makerere University.
dtlumu@yahoo.com
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