Building the WACREN Central African Hub: From Connectivity to a Regional Research Ecosystem

This presentation was delivered at the Central Africa Peering Forum (FPAC/CAPF 2026) in Yaoundé, Cameroon, on 1 October 2026, during the Peering and National Digital Sovereignty session. The session explored whether extending AfricaConnect connectivity to Yaoundé could serve not simply as another network connection, but as a catalyst for a stronger research and digital infrastructure ecosystem in Cameroon and Central Africa.

The proposition starts from the premise that Central Africa already has universities, research institutions, national infrastructure, IXPs, operators, data centres and active technical communities. The opportunity is to connect what exists, share what makes sense, build only what is missing, and govern it locally and regionally. 

Potential early areas for collaboration include eduMEET, eduID.africa, BonafID, TrustBroker Africa, LIBSENSE and ATI. 

English and French versions of the presentation are included.