To develop academic know-how, the
project conducted a number of events when delegations from the African universities visited Aalto. Comprising of senior personnel, these groups were able to view the university’s facilities and gain an understanding of its dynamic relationships with local industries. Between December 2013 and February 2014, technical training in Africa began in earnest, with ‘hands on’ courses on wireless systems simulations and theoretical lectures in advanced
wireless
technologies presented at both partner institutions. So popular was the Ethiopian installment of the latter that three regional universities
connections with business and national bodies, and will hopefully encourage them to undertake joint projects. One example of this we are hoping to see is the gestation of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) that could capitalise on local innovations. These are industries which we hope will organically develop after the project has concluded.”
Mutafungwa is keen “We’ve become a
lot more aware of the technology’s relevance in new
(Jimma,
Bahir Dar and Hawassa) were able to witness the session remotely, via video link. Additional courses in software- defined radio, the next stage in the syllabus, are currently timetabled for March and April. “The primary objective of the project is to deliver an understanding of recent technical developments in mobile and wireless systems. As part of this, we need to acquaint students with systems like
3G and 4G mobile networks.
Ultimately, these are technologies that we hope to transfer using the framework of the project, so that participants can utilise them in their own societies to meet specific needs. The second objective is to help each country extend their industrial reach,” Hämäläinen explains. “Both of these strands are, of course, closely inter-related,
and the overall
vision closely corresponds with national strategic goals”. “The courses held so far in both territories have
attracted significant
numbers of professional participants,” says Dr Edward Mutafungwa, a coordinator and project manager for the initiative. “Our activities involved staff from Ethiopia Telecom in Addis Ababa and the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority, with classes evenly split between academics
and industrial or
governmental representatives. This is another way in which we can help universities to strengthen their
www.projectsmagazine.eu.com
contexts, and the opportunities for
its exploitation in these markets”
to emphasise that the scheme is not merely an exporter of knowledge, but that all parties involved are learning from experience.
the “We’ve
become a lot more aware
of the
technology’s relevance in new contexts, and the opportunities for its exploitation in these markets. There are challenges in Africa that in
are non-existent Finland.
At institutional level, the
initiative has also increased our visibility and encouraged numerous foreign students
to attend Aalto.”
Beneyam B. Haile, an Ethiopian native and doctoral candidate at Aalto also serves as one of the instructors in the ENhANCE project. Haile sees a great need for student ties to partner institutions like Aalto, as one of
the
key approaches for addressing the staff shortages in Ethiopian universities by producing high quality graduates with sufficient exposure to the most developed ICT countries. “A selected group of students will be
applying the transferring wireless technology
research tools on their
master’s thesis works, so we’ll be able to assess their performance and the success of the programme,” says Mutafungwa. “So far, the feedback we’ve received has been very positive, and we’re confident that our initial objectives have been met, despite the limited time we have at each university in which to make an impact. We’re also closely involving stakeholders, to ensure that the curriculum we’re introducing remains both contemporary and relevant. In the long term, we’re convinced that this improved educational provision will be a valuable asset for these societies.”
★ 93
AT A GLANCE Project Information
Project Title: HEI ICI ENhANCE: Enhancing Education and Research in Networking and Communications Engineering
Project Objective: To implement interventions for enhanced postgraduate education and research capacity at Addis Ababa Institute of Technology and the College of ICT of the University of Dar es Salaam. This includes creation of new study programs in the area of communications and networking, transferring research tools and strengthening industry outreach.
Project Duration and Timing: 2 years, April 2013 to March 2015
Project Funding: The Higher Education Institutions Institutional Cooperation Instrument (HEI ICI) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland
Project Partners: 1. Department of Communications and Networking (COMNET), Aalto University School of Electrical Engineering, Finland 2. School of Electrical and Computer Engineering (SECE), Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAiT), Addis Ababa University, Ethiopia 3. College of Information and Communication Technologies (CoICT), University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), Tanzania
MAIN CONTACT
Dr. Edward Mutafungwa Dr. Edward Mutafungwa is a Staff Scientist at COMNET. He serves as a teacher, researcher and project manager in various national and international projects. His research interests are within the areas of mobile communications, telehealth, public safety communications, ICT4D, Green ICT, user- centered design and optical networking.
Contact: Tel: +358 40 733 3397 Email:
edward.mutafungwa@
aalto.fi Web:
https://research.comnet.aalto.fi/enhance/
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