Speaker
Description
Across West and Central Africa, research and education networks operate in environments defined by high connectivity costs, limited infrastructure, and uneven institutional digital maturity. While AfricaConnect has expanded regional connectivity across 12 countries, trusted and interoperable digital identity remains a critical gap.
WACREN is addressing this through a service-led approach, anchored by BonafID, an emerging identity-as-a-service platform designed to strengthen identity assurance, enable federation, and support seamless access to services such as eduroam and shared research platforms. As BonafID transitions from prototype to operational deployment, it tackles a foundational constraint limiting trust, collaboration, and service adoption across NRENs.
This work reflects a practical expression of Digital Sisu—building persistence at the identity layer despite structural challenges.
Presented jointly with GÉANT, this session explores lessons from deploying identity as a foundational service and introduces a scalable model for building sustainable research communities through progressive service adoption.
