| Microelectronics is recognized as a very important | | | | This is one area African Union NEPAD can help to |
| technology that can lift Africa's economy if it can | | | | assist microelectronics education in Africa. They |
| penetrate into the economy. There have been | | | | can fund or subsidize these programs for African |
| many challenges associated with making this | | | | universities. |
| technology widespread in the continent. They | | | | Nothing teaches better than doing. By focusing on |
| include inadequacy of quality teachers, equipment | | | | developing foundries, Africa will empower its |
| and tools, social amenities, among others. | | | | universities and SMEs to have practical skills which |
| The following under listed ideas are proposed are | | | | will be spur innovation and competence. As they |
| ways that can help in diffusing microelectronics in | | | | develop and grow, many multinational firms will like |
| Africa by working with foreign universities and | | | | to tap into the skills. The continent enjoys fairly |
| institutions that can provide technical and | | | | good labor costs. This means that many will come |
| managerial supports to organizations in Africa. | | | | to build plants to benefit from these skills. That is |
| Internet Virtual Classroom (IVC) | | | | how microelectronics transfer will take place in the |
| This is a 'classroom' on the Internet where | | | | continent. |
| instructors and students interact via computers. | | | | The foundry is a solid infrastructure that drives |
| Besides lecture notes, VOIP (Voice over Internet | | | | many programs on microelectronics. It will be |
| Protocol) phone, live-chats and online-conferencing | | | | necessary to develop capability in the knowledge |
| are vital components of this classroom resources. | | | | industry. By building them, a process that creates |
| The motivation is to create a virtual traditional | | | | an environment for microelectronics transfer will |
| classroom on the web and educate students | | | | be implemented in the continent. |
| separated by physical distance from the | | | | Enabling Environments for SME |
| instructors. | | | | Africa was able to diffuse information technology |
| Many European and US universities use IVC to | | | | consumption through a business-center model |
| coordinate their satellite campuses and distance | | | | where small and medium enterprises (SME) |
| education programs. It offers to Africa a | | | | educated and trained clients for small fees. |
| framework through which they can tap the pool | | | | Governments must provide the enabling |
| of their experts in Diaspora, which increasingly | | | | environments in the forms of electricity, |
| prefer to live in the developed nations. | | | | telecommunication, and other infrastructures. |
| The importance of IVC is to solve the problem of | | | | A good business environment will help the SMEs |
| lack of quality microelectronics tutors in the | | | | to grow and that will help them to enter into joint |
| continent by connecting people in the developed | | | | ventures and partnerships with external firms. |
| world to educate students in Africa. | | | | Doing this will help them get skills and expertise |
| By implementing IVC across the continent, it | | | | that will improve the technology landscape of |
| would be easy for African nations to absorb new | | | | Africa. China has done remarkably well because of |
| ideas and technologies through seamless | | | | the institutional support from its leaders. The |
| interactions with the external world. Think of | | | | reforms and developments have helped many |
| engaging a professor of microelectronics from | | | | Chinese firms to partner with western firms. In |
| MIT teaching students in University of Nigeria, | | | | the process, they have transferred technologies |
| Nsukka. That experience and connection can lead | | | | to China and China is doing great. Africa must do |
| to new insights from the students. Any process | | | | the same by having an environment that |
| that helps to expose students and small firms to | | | | promotes business. |
| microelectronics will facilitate its transfer. | | | | It is important to know that without enabling |
| Telepresence Technologies | | | | environment in the areas like power, property |
| The telepresence technologies, like the ones | | | | rights, transport, Africa will find it harder to absorb |
| offered by Cisco and Digital Video Enterprises, | | | | new technologies like microelectronics and |
| would become one of the most important ways | | | | nanotechnology since the scale of trade and |
| to connect students and instructors in developed | | | | partnership will be smaller. |
| nations and Africa. With a high-speed technology | | | | Open Design Academic Program |
| that provides high bandwidth, these technologies | | | | The big divide between the microelectronics |
| can help leverage the skills of experts in | | | | education in developing nations and developed |
| developed nations to advance technical education | | | | ones will require a coordinated program to bridge |
| in Africa. | | | | it. We propose formation of Microelectronics |
| It also offers a good platform to link citizens of | | | | Academic Network in each African nation. This will |
| developing nations in Diasporas who are experts in | | | | offer the schools the platform to seek for |
| microelectronics to make contributions in their | | | | discounts from CAD (computer aided design) |
| native nations. These citizens can live in their | | | | manufacturers, multi-platform foundries and |
| adopted nations while assisting their native ones in | | | | efficiently share and collaborate on designkits and |
| developing this important technology. | | | | techfiles as the license owners provide them. |
| Telepresence refers to a set of technologies | | | | This will become a hi-tech equivalent of open |
| which allow a person to feel as if they were | | | | source software development, but within a |
| present, to give the appearance that they were | | | | national level. A coordinated continental program |
| present, or to have an effect, at a location other | | | | will only focus on fabrication because of the |
| than their true location. | | | | expensive nature of the equipment. |
| Telepresence offers some advantages in terms | | | | The continent must pursue a plan to work to |
| of virtual reality, which cannot be easily produced | | | | support its tertiary institutions to share resources |
| in IVC. Telepresence offers 'live' classroom | | | | and collaborate in the process of developing |
| despite the small latency and can be a very | | | | microelectronics. |
| effective two-way communication between the | | | | Education Package for Diffusion |
| experts in developed nation and students in Africa | | | | Microelectronics is vast; accordingly, efforts must |
| working in labs or classrooms. With it, direct | | | | be made to develop the right format as African |
| supervision of experiments or homework is | | | | students are being engaged. There should be |
| possible. | | | | scholarships supported by NEPAD to send African |
| Through this technology, it would be possible for | | | | students for trainings on microelectronics related |
| anyone in any place with network connection and | | | | areas. |
| Telepresence equipment to educate and train | | | | In summary, the 21st century is a knowledge |
| Africans, either in the public or private workplaces. | | | | century and knowledge will rule modern man. A |
| Because of its efficiency, it can easily translate to | | | | bottom-up creative technology programs are |
| good results where people master skills that used | | | | necessary in Africa towards sustainable |
| to require traveling abroad locally. Many universities | | | | transformations into knowledge economy, |
| in the United States have these tools and if | | | | especially with Africa's plan for a common |
| African schools can acquire them, there would be | | | | currency with potentials of delivering larger |
| possibilities of integrating world class experts in | | | | market. |
| teaching in African schools. | | | | Due to the high-specialized skills and |
| Multi-platform foundries | | | | capital-intensive nature of microelectronics, good |
| The availability of experts who can teach the | | | | technical education is a prerequisite for sustainable |
| students is not enough, the students must | | | | adoption and diffusion across Africa. Also, new |
| actually have to practically learn and design. That | | | | applications like IVC and Telepresence could be |
| is why multi-platform foundries are required, to | | | | vital along with a coordinated and planned |
| provide foundry services to students and | | | | academic network designed and implemented at |
| universities. Through this process, they will have | | | | both national and continental levels. |
| improvements in skills, develop competence and | | | | There is need for more economic, social and |
| can potentially graduate to establish small and | | | | industrial coordination in the continent. Africa must |
| medium enterprises which will help in the diffusion | | | | reform various sectors in accordance with |
| process of microelectronics. | | | | industry trends. Education, especially technical |
| One way of realizing this practical exposure is to | | | | education, must be supported. Efforts must be |
| have a continental level fabrication service similar | | | | geared in adopting microelectronics as its offers |
| to MOSIS of USA, Europractice of Western | | | | to stimulate the integration dynamics by delivering |
| Europe and CMC of Canada. Through this, | | | | knowledge products which are homogeneous and |
| students will have the opportunity to design, | | | | hence can mitigate impacts of trade shocks |
| fabricate and test their microelectronic systems. | | | | across regions. |