TRIP REPORT
AfricaLink and ICRAF in Ethiopia
August-September 1997
Jeffrey A. Cochrane, USAID/AfricaLink Advisor
October 16, 1997
The AfricaLink Advisor visited Ethiopia as part of an East Africa assessment exercise. The purpose of the exercise was to evaluate the effectiveness of the AfricaLink program in Ethiopia, and to discuss with implementing partners and targeted network members their suggestions for improvements.
The International Centre for Research on Agroforestry (ICRAF) has received $340,000 to date to facilitate networking in the region. Funds are to support agricultural research activities generally, broadly defined to include environmental and natural resource management networks. ICRAF was selected by USAID as the implementing institution in East Africa because of its extensive knowledge of key networks in the region, particularly those associated with the Association for the Strengthening of Agricultural Research in East and Central Africa (ASARECA).
Funds for AfricaLink/ICRAF are from the Productive Sector Growth and the Environment (PSGE) Division of USAID’s Sustainable Development (SD) Office. The Office is in the USAID Africa Bureau in Washington. Funds were delivered to ICRAF as part of their ongoing relationship with the USAID Global Bureau.
The ICRAF project manager, Mr. Michael Hailu, was asked to recommend sites in Ethiopia to be visited as part of the assessment. He was asked to identify a range of sites, from places where implementation has been quite positive, to problematic sites, along with sites at which could be discussed possible new activities. Because of the Ethiopian New Year holidays, some of the interviews were quite short.
Wednesday, September 10, 1997, 10:00am
Sendros Demeke, Holetta Agricultural Research Centre
Email Harc@telecom.net.et
Tel 251-1-512579
PO Box 2003
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
There are nine commodity research areas at the Holetta Center, with about 50 research scientists. Dr. Demeke indicated that most had sent or received an electronic mail message of some kind. He himself sends and receives one to two messages per week. Typical communications are with colleagues at Wageningen in the Netherlands or in Australia. Dr. Demeke also mentioned a fellow Ethiopian studying in Switzerland with whom he communicates regularly. Other scientists have similar communication problems, and some communicate regularly with colleagues in the region, especially Kenya.
Email service has been provided by PADIS. The Center’s secretary checks for mail once daily. Received emails are printed and distributed to intended recipients. Scientists typically compose their responses on diskette and carry them to the secretary’s office.
Dr. Demeke reports no serious problems with the PADIS system, noting only that size limitations are sometimes an impediment and and that the encoding process for word processing and other 8-bit files can be tedious. Connections to the PADIS server have been reliably accomplished by artificially adjusting the telephone number to account for a curious pulse-dialing problem. Upon investigation, it was discovered that the modem was achieving a connection to a telephone number that was slightly different than intended. By adding one to one of the digits, the correct number was reached.
The Center has only three telephone lines, one each to the director’s office, to the Center switchboard, and to the computer housing the email system. Despite the lack of telecommunications infrastructure, there is no shortage of computers. Almost all scientists have an Intel486 computer or better. In Dr. Demeke’s livestock unit there are 2 Pentiums, 1 I486, 1 I386, and 2 I286 computers. All were acquired through special projects funded by external donors, except for one Pentium acquired by government purchase.
Dr. Demeke has been at the Center for about 15 years. Communications now are much more reliable and faster than before the introduction of email. The email system saves time. As an example, he described an experiment on cattle breeding he designed. As is standard practice he shared his design with colleagues and requested comments. In the past this process would have taken at least a month. With email he had his response in days.
If the subsidy from ICRAF ends after one year, Dr. Demeke is certain the Center will be prepared to pay the running costs. He describes email as better and cheaper than fax. The library of the Center is small, and so the resources available via the Internet are critical to the Center’s work.
If further assistance is to be provided, Dr. Demeke suggests AfricaLink provide capital for the installation of a LAN. The government is presently upgrading the telephone system, and will provide access to the central switchboard for all offices. This internal telephone network might be used to support internal distribution of electronic mail.
Friday, September 12, 1997, 9:30am
Abebe Demissie, Biodiversity Institute
Email Bio-et@padis.gn.apc.org
Tel 251-1-612244
PO Box 30726
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The Biodiversity Institute was formerly part of the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), and is now independent. It relates to ASARECA at the national level, and works in collaboration with various gene banks around the world.
The Institute has had email service through PADIS for about two years. Service has worked properly only on occasion. There seems to be a curious problem with pulse dialing. Numbers dialed manually work fine. Numbers dialed automatically by a modem often to not reach the proper party. The problem may be the same as that experienced at Holetta. Dr. Demissie has asked the PADIS technician to investigate, but attempts to rectify the problem have not been successful. Effectively, the Institute has not had email access.
The Institute acquired a modem initially with funding from the International Plant Genetic Research Institute in rome, paid through their regional office in Nairobi. The intention now is to purchase a new, faster modem, perhaps to overcome the dialing problem. An application has been made to Ethiopian Telecom for a new PPP account to replace the account with PADIS. Mr. Adebabay Birru’s Help Desk services were offered, and he will facilitate installation of the Ethiopian Telecom account.
Friday, September 12, 1997, 3:00pm
Girma Balcha, Forestry Research Centre
Tel 251-1-182982
Fax 251-1-612933
PO Box 30708
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The Forestry Research Centre participates in the Forest Pest Network for East and Southern Africa, and has a relationship with ICRAF in Nairobi. Electronic mail through the PADIS system has been installed for some time on a secretary’s computer. The Email system is rarely used. The problem, as explained by staff, is mainly administrative. The secretary was trained in the use of the system, but apparently has other priorities for the computer.
Staff explained they are now in the process of acquiring PPP access through Ethiopian Telecoms. The impetus appears to be Dr. Balcha, who became quite experienced with email while working in Edinburgh, Scotland. The new system will be housed on his office computer. He expressed enthusiasm for assuring that access would be provided to all staff scientists.
Friday, September 12, 1997, 3:30pm
Girum Endalaw, National Coffee Research Center
Documentalist
There are approximately 20 researchers at the Center. ICRAF/AfricaLink is paying for three separate email accounts. The Institute for Agricultural Research is paying for an additional account with Ethiopian Telecoms. One of the email systems resides with the secretary of the Center Manager, who prints and distributes incoming messages, and processes outgoing messages delivered to her on diskette. Staff suggest that access is administratively problematic. Additional access is available on a system in the library, which staff describe as "much faster".
There appears to be a close relationship with Mr. Adebabay of the Help Desk. Mr. Adebabay receives requests from the Center for programmatic information, and conducts searches in databases maintained by the FAO.
Friday, September 12, 1997, 4:00pm
Getinet Gebeyehu, Institute of Agricultural Research
Deputy General Manager
Email Getinet.g@padis.gn.apc.org
Tel 251-1-613409
Fax 251-1-611222
PO Box 2003
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Within the IAR network of research stations in Ethiopia, electronic mail is operational at the head office in Addis, and also in Nazret and Holetta. There are problems in Alemaya and Debre Zeit. Generally the IAR is seeking to replace fax with email for the cost savings. ICARDA and CIMMYT are the principal international correspondents about which Dr. Getinet is aware. Most communications are technical in nature, having to do with project proposals and requests for information.
A more general discussion about IAR Internet access ensued with Adebabay Birru, who staffs the AfricaLink Help Desk and is based at the IAR. He noted that there are four email accounts through PADIS paid by ICRAF/AfricaLink at the IAR. There is an additional account through Ethiopian Telecoms in the library that is managed directly by Mr. Adebabay.
Staff appear to prefer email through the PPP account with Ethiopian Telecoms, and Mr. Adebabay suggests the PADIS accounts should either be closed or converted. Staff send or receive some two to three messages daily in total. The nature of the messages depends on the work of the staff, with administrators arranging meetings, and scientists exchanging technical information. As an example, Mr. Adebabay mentioned a recent exchange between an IAR scientist and a colleague in Israel on wheat seeds.
Mr. Adebabay demonstrated the IAR library system with Ethiopian Telecoms. The connection was quickly made and the download speed for Web pages was reasonably fast. A demonstration was also made from Abebe Kirub’s office of the PADIS email system. The connection was fast and without errors. The Fido software FrontDoor was loaded under MS-DOS rather than Win95 since the IAR does not have an appropriate FOSSIL driver, inexpensive software that improves the performance of data flows for DOS software operated under Windows.
Monday, September 15, 1997, 11:00am
Teklut Tesfaye, Debre Zeit Institute for Agricultural Research
Social Agricultural Economist
Email Teklut@padis.gn.apc.org
Debre Zeit, Ethiopia
This station of the IAR specializes in research on poultry, fisheries, commodity crops, fruits (grapes primarily), and horticultural crops (especially tomatoes). The email service through PADIS accomodates 10 individual users with unique user names, the maximum capability of the software being used at the station. A typical communication is with a colleague now studying in Germany who regularly requests information for his research.
ICRAF/AfricaLink purchased a modem for the station, though the station already had another modem. It is not clear what has become of the AfricaLink modem.
The email system was out of order for a "long time". Mr. Adebabay provided assistance to repair it. The problem may have been that the configuration file was inadvertently altered. Staff expressed general concerns about the reliability of the PADIS system, and the belief that the Ethiopian Telecoms system will be more reliable.
Monday, September 15, 1997, 2:00pm
Dr. Habtu Assefa, Nazret Melkassa Research Center,
National Lowland Pulses Research Coordinator
Institute for Agricultural Research
Tel 251-02-114031/112186
Email narc@telecom.net.et
PO Box 436
Nazret, Ethiopia
The Melkassa Research Center is situated outside Nazret about an hour's drive from Addis Ababa. The Center houses eight senior scientists and some thirty junior scientists conducting research in a variety of areas. Staff participate in the African Highlands Initiative and a variety of networks on crop research, including beans, potatoes, and bananas.
The interview took place in the town of Nazret, some 17 kilometers from the Research Center itself. Telephone lines at the Center are problematic, and the email system, presently served by PADIS, is housed in Nazret. Messages are sent on diskette via courier between Nazret and the Center. A new computer purchased with funds from ICRAF/AfricaLink is on order, which will permit conversion of the email system to PPP with Ethiopian Telecoms. Installation is expected within a month.
Correspondence is regularly with international organizations such as ICRAF, CIAT, and CIMMYT, and with univerisites such as Michigan State, Purdue, and Wageningen. A key correspondent for Dr. Habtu is Roger Kirkby of CIAT in Kampala, Uganda, under the bean research network. Correspondence typically has to do with logistical arrangements, planning meetings, preparing budgets, and drafting funding proposals.
Access to the email system is quite inconvenient, and only about four scientists really use the system on a regular basis. In addition to the inconvenience of having email off site, the email service itself through PADIS is said not to be reliable. Mail sent from Melkassa generally reaches its destination. Incoming mail frequently fails to arrive, leading to embarrassment as correspondents complain about Melkassa's failure to respond. Dr. Habtu also explained a problem with return addressing, which upon investigation by Mr. Adebabay turned out to be a relatively minor but critical software configuration problem. There is a hope that the Ethiopian Telecoms system will prove more reliable and provide a turnaround on messages that is faster than the minimum 24 hours required using the PADIS system.
In the meantime, for important matters, the post office fax facility is utilized. The fax cost is about ETBirr 45 (about US$7) per page for faxes sent to Kenya. While ICRAF/AfricaLink presently pays the costs of the PADIS system, managing a ETBirr 350 (US$50) per month charge should not be a problem for Melkassa, given how much it is presently paying for faxes.
The telephone system at the Melkassa Center itself is scheduled for upgrading. Dr. Habtu explained that the Deputy General Manager of Ethiopian Telecoms was in the office the day of the interview to discuss the matter. The Center itself will pay the installation cost, anticipated to be about ETBirr 150,000 (US$21,000) for each of five telephone lines. Once the telephone upgrade is complete, the installation of a local area network would be the next priority. Dr. Habtu requested USAID assistance for that project.
Saturday, September 13, 1997
Local Equipment Vendors
Visits were paid to several equipment vendors. Prices are reported to have fallen substantially in the past year, and the availability and selection of modems has improved.
At the Dell dealer, USRobotics Sportsters 14.4kbps internal for ETBirr 750, external for ETBirr 1250 (about US$120 and US$190 respectively). 33.6kbps modems were available for about $280, internal, or $300, external. The vendor PCHouse offered a 14.4kbps internal modem for only ETBirr 650 (US$95).
A Dell Pentium 166Mhz computer with CD, 16 megabytes RAM, and 1 gigabyte storage was available for ETBirr 15,500 (US$ 2300) including a 3-year warranty. A similar system at PCHouse sold for ETBirr 16,500.
Most equipment vendors offer special training classes. A lab could be rented from the Dell dealer with 10 workstations for two days for about ETBirr 2000 (US$300). PCHouse offers a 22-hour MSWord training for ETBirr 300 (US$45) with a 40 percent discount for a class of 12 or more students. There are also companies primarily in the training business. Infotec offers a basic Internet training course with one-on-one instruction for two hours per day over two days for ETBirr 300 (US$45). Infotec also offers training lab rentals with networked computers and LCD overhead projectors.
Wednesday, September 17, 1997, 2:00pm
Local ISPs: PADIS
Lishan Adam
It is reported that Ethiopian Telecoms would like PADIS to cease operations, though PADIS continues to operate. One reason may be its very low prices for basic email services. Another may be that the service offered by PADIS does not appear to compete directly on a quality basis with that of Ethiopian Telecoms.
PADIS charges a price of $25 for setup plus $5 per month. There is then an additional usage charge of $5 per month for low-volume users (less than 10 kilobytes transferred in a month), $10 for medium-volume users (10 to 20 kilobytes), and $15 for high-volume users (more than 20 kilobytes). Thus the highest monthly price paid is $20 per month.
Wednesday, September 17, 1997, 3:00pm
Local ISPs: Ethiopian Telecoms
Fanta Adane
Tel 514105/53
Email Fadane@telecom.net.et
Ethiopian Telecoms offers several pricing plans for their new PPP dialup access service. Individuals can pay a $75 connection fee and $25 per month for up to 5 hours plus $5 per hour thereafter, or a $100 connection fee and $45 per month for up to 12 hours plus $5 per hour thereafter. Businesses and international institutions pay $150 to connect and $100 per month for 30 hours plus $5 per hour thereafter. Government and national institutions pay $75 to connect and $50 per month for 30 hours plus $3 per hour thereafter. Leased line access is also available.
Curiously, except for leased line customers, Ethiopian Telecoms does not presently offer enterprise electronic mail services, i.e. a subdomain to which mail for a local area network can be delivered and then redistributed. The need for such a service at a lower cost was discussed with Mr. Fanta, and he promised to bring this need to the attention of his superiors.
Analysis and Conclusions
The visit to Ethiopia was part of a regional assessment tour. General analyses and conclusions are contained in a separate synthesis report.
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