Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen of the press, invited guests, on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos Professor Tolu Odugbemi, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this forum of stakeholders on the Lagos Higher Education Connectivity Project (LHECP) tagged Eko-Konnect.
We are all aware of and have witnessed the enormous power and capabilities of communication and connectivity in various spheres of our lives through telephony and the Internet. In particular, the educational sector has been one of the greatest beneficiaries of the digital revolution. For us in the developing economies, the digital revolution has been accompanied by a digital divide between the rich north and the struggling south. This digital gap is more pronounced and glaring in the relatively high cost of communication and connectivity in developing countries.
We are therefore quite pleased with the efforts of the Internet Exchange Point (IXP) geared towards reducing the cost of communication and connectivity in Nigeria by ensuring that local Internet traffic is indeed kept local. The University of Lagos decided to connect to IXP in order to enjoy the benefits that will accrue from doing so. We urge other institutions that have not done so to do this as a matter of urgency.
As we are aware, a very important derivative of connectivity is the ability to share information in a cost-effective manner. The promoters of LHECP reasoned that if institutions of higher learning in the Lagos area can connect to IXP, then this will create opportunities for the institutions to share multimedia information, create and disseminate content, and collaborate in areas of mutual interest. This, we believe, could be the beginning of a joint academic and research network in Nigeria, similar to what already exist in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, ladies and gentlemen of the press, invited guests, on behalf of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Lagos Professor Tolu Odugbemi, it is with great pleasure that I welcome you to this forum of stakeholders on the Lagos Higher Education Connectivity Project (LHECP) tagged Eko-Konnect.
We are all aware of and have witnessed the enormous power and capabilities of communication and connectivity in various spheres of our lives through telephony and the Internet. In particular, the educational sector has been one of the greatest beneficiaries of the digital revolution. For us in the developing economies, the digital revolution has been accompanied by a digital divide between the rich north and the struggling south. This digital gap is more pronounced and glaring in the relatively high cost of communication and connectivity in developing countries.
We are therefore quite pleased with the efforts of the Internet Exchange Point (IXP) geared towards reducing the cost of communication and connectivity in Nigeria by ensuring that local Internet traffic is indeed kept local. The University of Lagos decided to connect to IXP in order to enjoy the benefits that will accrue from doing so. We urge other institutions that have not done so to do this as a matter of urgency.
As we are aware, a very important derivative of connectivity is the ability to share information in a cost-effective manner. The promoters of LHECP reasoned that if institutions of higher learning in the Lagos area can connect to IXP, then this will create opportunities for the institutions to share multimedia information, create and disseminate content, and collaborate in areas of mutual interest. This, we believe, could be the beginning of a joint academic and research network in Nigeria, similar to what already exist in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, this forum is being called upon to take up the challenge of creating and sustaining a joint academic and research network of higher institutions in the Lagos area. We believe this venture is desirable, feasible and beneficial. History will be kind to this gathering if this goal is eventually realised.
Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, once again I welcome you most warmly and wish us all happy and productive deliberation.
Professor Charles O. Uwadia
Director, Centre for Information Technology and Systems
University of Lagos.
December 15, 2009