To disseminate and consult with decision-makers on the initial findings of our commissioned report on PAREN, an initiative which aims is to facilitate the establishment of a consortium of African universities to reduce their connectivity costs and improve the management of their Internet bandwidth and therefore promote higher education and research in Africa.

To share information with the leadership of African education institutions and other stakeholders who will be attending the 11th General Conference of the AAU;

to explore modalities for partnership and collaboration between the AAU, CA, and other stakeholders in order to promote PAREN within the higher education community in Africa;

to explore partnership opportunities for future ICT projects for more efficient management of university Internet bandwidth; and

to consult and exchange with partners in preparation for the official announcement of the PAREN consortium at the WSIS, Tunis November 2005. Other such preparatory events and consultative meetings in the run-up to Tunis include

the Open Access conference which the Centre intends to co-sponsor with Swedish International Development Agency in Maputo from 9-10 May 2005.