Posts filed under ‘business’
Moving forward: the growth of women in science
Entrepreneurial women in the East of England talk about how times have changed, why including men is important for work equality, and what could encourage more women entrepreneurs in male-dominated industries.
This is part of a podcast series. You can listen to this episode or read the transcript.
Barriers for women entrepreneurs in science
Entrepreneurial women in the East of England talk about why there are fewer women working in bioscience enterprise, and barriers for innovative women in science and technology.
This is part of a podcast series. You can listen to the episode, or read the transcript.
How women in science balance careers with motherhood
Entrepreneurial mothers working in science, engineering and technology in the East of England discuss how they juggle work and family.
This is part of a podcast series. You can listen to this episode, or you can read the transcript.
Why women in science, engineering and technology start businesses.
Women entrepreneurs in science, engineering and technology in the East of England talk about why they started working for themselves.
This is part of a podcast series. You can listen to the episode, or read the transcript.
End of monopoly could mean better connectivity in west Africa
The Association of African Universities has called for African leaders to use the end of a monopoly on a submarine communications cable to provide cheaper Internet access for students.
The SAT-3 submarine communications cable — which runs from Europe down Africa’s west coast — is currently monopolised by a consortium of state-owned and private telecommunications providers in different countries, and pricing structures have been the subject of criticism.
That monopoly ends in June, which could open up internet access for west African nations.
Information and communication technology (ICT) initiatives in African universities are suffering due to expensive, slow and limited connectivity, says Akilagpa Sawyerr, the executive secretary of the Ghana-based Association of African Universities (AAU).
“In our universities you’ve got 18,000 students and 1,000 teachers using the same amount of bandwidth as an American household,” said Sawyerr at a conference on African development at the UK-based Open University last week (16–17 May).
“The more people that use it, the slower it works. And because of the monopoly pricing in Africa, that university will pay 50 times more per unit than the American household.”
Sawyerr says the association needs to persuade governments that ICT programmes will not work without connectivity and effective networks between universities.
Rather than looking at expensive satellite Internet services as a solution, west African universities should be accessing the SAT-3 cable, he says.
“The monopolies run out in June and it is very important that before our governments renew their licenses we persuade them that these companies could give away a portion of their lines at a discounted rate to us,” Sawyerr said.
“We need those who are making the choices at higher levels to realise that it would cost them quite little and make a difference.”
He said the AAU is keen to work with other African organisations to lobby governments to this end.
Read the whole story on the Science and Development Network.
