It is the Telecommunications Lab at PAUSTI that represents the future of telecommunications, with a seemingly endless tangle of coaxial cables, a rainbow of spectrum analysers, and a soft blue glow of networking switches. This group of MSc students had a challenge bigger than simply passing a lab exam, they had to solve the problem of “the last mile” in regards to connectivity issues plaguing their home regions.
Tatenda (Zimbabwe), with his experience in satellite communications, and Abdimalik (Somalia) were huddled over a laptop as they analysed the Signal to Noise ratio of a connection that could possibly bring the Internet to remote schools in the Matobo Hills of Zimbabwe. Abdimalik had data regarding mesh networking to develop a resilient communication network for the bustling markets of Mogadishu.
Souleymane (Guinea) and Donathe (Rwanda) were in the corner, setting up a 5G testbed. Souleymane spoke of the rich mineral deposits of the mountainous region of Guinea and how a private industrial network could improve mining safety. Donathe, speaking of Rwanda’s Smart Village concept, was using the sensors to build a cloud based dashboard, ensuring that every packet of data being sent from a rural sensor could be read by a city office almost immediately.
Nomfundo (Eswatini) and Liku (Tanzania) were in the corner, concerned with the physical aspects of the towers. Lindiwe calculated the power requirements for a base station running entirely on solar energy – a necessity for the rolling hills of Eswatini. Baraka tested a fiber optic splicing kit, imagining the day when the subsea cables landing in Dar es Salaam would reach the most inland villages without interruption via a continuous terrestrial backbone.
“We’re not just sending bits and bytes,” Souleymane said as he watched a packet-capture tool correctly trace a path through their local network. “We’re creating the nervous system of Africa.”
By the time they left the lab, these students hadn’t just completed a lab project – they had successfully created a connected Africa, engineered by Africans, staffed by Africans, and powered by African knowledge, where no border could interrupt the signal.
