UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA - AFRICAN STUDIES CENTER
Presentation of the Gondwana Project, Paul Godard & Mrs Petra Vandecasteele

Presentation of the Gondwana Project,

by Paul Godard & Mrs Petra Vandecasteele

Presentation of the Gondwana Project
Dr. Paul Godard & Mrs Petra Vandecasteele

Symposium on TŽlŽmatics, Addis Ababa, 3-7 April 1995

The first objective of the Gondwana Project is to inform some African scientists about electronic networking readily available and affordable in Africa. The second is to establish Ñ at some pilot sites Ñ a sustainable connection with international networks (Internet) for exchange of electronic mail. To achieve these objectives, the Gondwana team visits major African universities and research centres on its land route from North to South (Brussels to Cape Town). The countries are Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Swaziland, Lesotho and South Africa. The agenda proposes a global survey about the technical situation, an exchange of expertise, link tests to access different networks and a multimedia seminar focused on electronic networking in Africa. Collaborations with the Computer, Agriculture and Natural Sciences departments are very welcome.

The Gondwana Project is housed at the Plant Biology Department of the UniversitŽ Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium). Two other universities are collaborating : the Plant Sciences Department of the University of Oxford, Oxford (UK) and the Soil Sciences Department of the University of Zimbabwe, Harare (Zimbabwe). Prof. Charles Van Hove is the liaison person in Belgium with the African Association for Biological Nitrogen Fixation chosen as the scientific pilot group. Prof. Andrew Speedy is responsible for the UUCP-IFS Internet node in UK.

The Gondwana Project is partially supported by the Cooperation DG of the Commission of the European Community and by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation based in Eide-Wageningen (Netherlands). The travel team is composed by Mrs Petra Vandecasteele (logistics & communication) and Dr. Paul Godard (biologist & electronic networking).


Editor: Dr. Ali B. Ali-Dinar, Ph.D.
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