University of Nairobi
1
possible contribution by the University of Nairobi
Prof. W. Okelo-OdongoDr. Wanjiku Ng’ang’a
School of Computing and Informatics
OSS for Governance and Public Administration : Strategic role of
Universities
University of Nairobi
outline
ICT for Governance and Public AdministrationOSS as an optionRole of UniversitiesApproach by UoN
2
University of Nairobi
ICT for Governance and Public Administration
Efficiency, cost-effectiveness and citizens’participation are critical objectives for any governance and public administration agendaICTs, if properly leveraged can provide required efficiency and effectiveness
Improving government processes (e-Administration)Connecting citizens (e-Citizens and e-Services)Building external interactions (e-Society)
3
University of Nairobi
ICT for Governance and Public Administration
Deployment of ICTs for governance and public administration requires careful resource planning
Human capacityICT infrastructure and servicesReengineering work processesSecurity Considerations…
4
University of Nairobi
ICT for Governance and Public Administration
Digital changeover warrants careful consideration of
Investments in technology (costly)Technology ownership (who owns the technology?)Human capacity to manage e-environment
Choice between Proprietary vs. OSS!
5
University of Nairobi
OSS for Governance and Public Administration
Choice between Proprietary vs. OSS!
Benefits of OSS over ProprietaryOpportunity for software research, development, and commercializationLower costsIncreased reliability and securityEnhanced agility and interoperabilityVendor independenceSocial good - unrestricted availability of source code makes knowledge readily available to all of society
6
University of Nairobi
OSS for Governance and Public Administration
Why consider OSS in the African context?Competing financing needs => cheaper to adopt OSSFlexibility – customized to fit exact requirementsJob creation (software development by the youth)Promotes cross-domain IP sharing and code reuse for accelerated development…..
Case studies of OSS adoption globally– Brazil, China, Norway, Malaysia, South
Africa,….7
University of Nairobi
OSS for Governance and Public Administration
Factors hindering OSS adoptionHuge skills gap in OSS and Open StandardsLack of Technical Support for OSS applications and servicesOSS Learning curve (for end-users)Integration with legacy systemsProprietary systems viewed as ‘easier’ option
8
University of Nairobi
Role of UniversitiesPrimary objective of universities
Build human capacity across the boardUndertake research and development for the betterment of society
Well placed to enhance adoption of OSS by:Training highly-skilled personnelUndertaking appropriate research that informs policy and practice e.g. technology adoption studiesOSS-based R&D as a public knowledge good
9
University of Nairobi
University of Nairobi’s Approach
• UoN background [www.uonbi.ac.ke]Oldest university in Kenya (1956)Very well ranked university in East Africa, and AfricaSix colleges, each with 5 or more Schools, FacultiesStudent population approximately 45,00018,000 are government sponsored27,000 are privately sponsored. About 9,000 are postgraduate students Has 1300 academic staff members of which 260 are full and associate professors.
10
University of Nairobi
School of Computing Informatics
Human ResourcesFaculty (22) : PhD (9), MSc (13)Students : PhD (21), MSc (100), BSc (360)
Academic programmesUpto-date, competitive Masters and Bachelors programmesPractical-oriented programmes with emphasis on project-based workDeveloped M.Sc in FOSS Software Engineering as part of the AVOIR network
11
University of Nairobi
SCI info
Infrastructure• Well-equipped labs • High speed internet connectivity• Central location in Nairobi
Collaborations and partnerships • Public sector: Directorate of e-
Government, Kenya ICT Board, Judiciary, MoHEST,….
• Industry: Nokia, SAS, IBM, Google,…12
University of Nairobi
SCI research and outreach strategy
Centre for Computing for Development (CC4D) housed at SCI
Vision of CC4D is to be “a global point of reference for ICT Research and Innovation for sustainable development”
Mission of CC4D is to “generate, share knowledge, and produce innovative technological solutions that address societal problems by nurturing and mentoring a community of researchers, undertaking cutting edge research, and forging partnerships”
13
University of Nairobi
CC4DCC4D focusing on key thematic areas:
ICT4De-GovernanceMobile Financial ServicesICT in EducationICT in HealthICT in Agriculture
e-ScienceDistributed Computing
14
University of Nairobi
UoN’s ApproachC4DLab is the operational R&D arm of CC4DHuman resource in the Lab drawn from
SCI facultySCI students (PhD, Masters and Undergraduates)External Researchers drawn from
• Other UoN faculties• Other local and international universities• Other research institutions• Industry, Public sector• ….
15
University of Nairobi
Operationalization• Formal Agreements between UoN and ‘Clients’
=> bilateral/multilateral MoUs formalizing working relationship
• Financing for University-based R&D activities– Lab overheads– Market/customer research– Training and capacity building activities– Support & Maintenance costs
• Mantra: Rather than spend lots of $$ on Proprietary software, channel it to support University OSS-based R&D!
18
University of Nairobi
ConclusionICTs critical for governance and developmentNeed for highly-skilled ICT workforceUniversities play important role in high-level human capacity developmentTechnical Universities and ICT faculties form critical link in advancing innovative use of ICT for governance and developmentUoN’s model applies human resource (Faculty + Students) in solving real-world problems in collaboration with various stakeholdersUoN’s model very appropriate in enhancing the adoption and utilization of OSS for governance in Africa
19