This year’s East Africa Cisco Networking Academy Instructors Conference was held in Mombasa at Swahili Port on 18th and 19th July. The Conference was officially opened by H. E. the Deputy Governor  of Mombasa County Dr. William Kingi. The Deputy Governor noted that programme will place the region in a strategic position to take advantage of the myriad opportunities created by the networked economy.

With the signing of an MoU between Cisco Systems and the Mombasa county, a pilot training programme in Institutions in Mombasa  will be launched to help the youth access and benefit from the current digital skills.

The Cisco Academy programme was started in October 1997 in the United States.  “Today, the Cisco Networking Academy Program is a global e-learning laboratory  with over 10,400 Academies in 180 countries around the  world with an enrollment of  more than 1.2 million students each year,”  noted Hital Muraj, the Cisco CSR Manager.   “It is changing the way people learn by applying the Internet to the challenges of education.  Academy students learn anytime, anywhere, at their own pace, and in different languages. To-date the programme has impacted  more than 8 Million students globally, ”  she remarked.

In attendance were more that 60 Cisco Academy Instructors drawn from various Cisco Academies in Kenya and Uganda.  The following were some of the Academies represented: AFRALTI, Laikipia University, Swahili Port, KeMU, Makerere University, Kenyatta University, Strathmore University, Kabarak University among others.

In partnership with training Institutions and organizations around the world, the Cisco Networking Academy program delivers a comprehensive learning experience to help students develop IT skills to enhance career opportunities by equipping them with skills needed today such as collaboration and problem solving by encouraging practical application of knowledge through hands-on activities and network simulations.

The Cisco Networking Academy Program is a standards-based curriculum emphasizing on critical thinking, problem solving, and collaboration as well as practical knowledge.  Academy students build networks and complete hands-on exercises in specially equipped labs.  All the learning is led by Certified Cisco Instructors who use a variety of teaching and learning activities to help students master content.  Multimedia address a variety of learning styles at once.  Embedded assessment provides students, Instructors, and Cisco with immediate feedback about progress and effectiveness.

The African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI), the Cisco Academy Support Center for East Africa oversees the running of Cisco Academies in the region by ensuring that the quality of teaching and learning is maintained at the highest standards emphasizing on hands-on learning activities to help individuals prepare for ICT and networking careers in virtually every type of industry.  While delivering a presentation on IT Risk Management , Mr Stephen Gachogu, the acting Head of Technology Training at AFRALTI indicated that for organizations to benefit from IT investments they must embrace IT Risk management practices and  implement controls that effectively mitigates impact of today’s sophisticated cyber threats.

The conference was followed by training in CCNA Cyber Security Operations for a total of 15 instructors conducted by African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute (AFRALTI).

Instructors were kept abreast of the new ICT technologies in the market. The Instructor community will in turn impart the skills to the thousands of the students in the Cisco Academy programme, this strategically inclines the region to move forward in the ICT sector and contribute to the developments of the African  economies.

Mahmoud Noor, Director Swahili Pot, welcoming the delegates from Cisco Academies and the Invited guests to the conference venue.

Official Opening by Deputy Governor, Mombasa Country – H.E. Dr. William Kingi

Serges Nanfack, the Cisco Technical Manager delivering a presentation on Cyber Security

Honorable Sheriff Nassir, MP for Mvita, Mombasa County making a presentation during  the conference

Mahmoud Noor, Director Swahili Port welcoming guests and delegates to Venue.  With him is Alfie  Hamud (left) and Honorable Sheriff Nassir, MP for Mvita, Mombasa County. Partly hidden on the right  is the Cisco CSR  manager , Hital Muraj.

Mr Alfie Hamid – Regional Manager, delivering a presentation on “Taking Cybersecurity training to Higher Education”

Some of the delegates following the conference proceedings during the Safari

Group photo of delegates  and invited guests

Delegates  and invited guests at Dinner and Award Ceremony in A Mombasa hotel.

Training session in progress conducted by Mr Amos Gitau, one the AFRALTI’s  Internet and Cyber security experts during the Post Conference Training in Cyber Operation.

View the Academy Safari photo gallery below: