The Ghanaian Academic and Research Network (GARNET), a not-for-profit organization in Ghana is poised on its mission to support research and education institutions in Ghana; by providing internet connectivity and access to research and education content both locally and internationally.
GARNET is the Ghana National Research and Education Network (NREN) recognized by the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN). As part of its mandate to foster collaboration among researchers, GARNET is open to all accredited tertiary institutions in Ghana including research and educational institutions, Libraries, and teaching hospitals.
GARNET’s primary objective is to enhance the mechanisms for improving the delivery of educational resources and creating more opportunities for innovation among students, faculty, and other staff in all tertiary educational institutions in Ghana by augmenting Internet access for all.
Through its product offerings such as Capacity Building, Connectivity, Eduroam, Tertiary Multiple Mobile Data, Video Conferencing, and Federated Identity Services, GARNET has fostered high-speed internet connectivity needed to enable Ghanaian education and research institutions to join its network.
The institution over the years has helped streamline the business operations of most research and education institutions in Ghana by offering feasible business solutions that meet market demands.
The origins of the Ghanaian Academic and Research Network (GARNET) can be traced back to 1995 when the idea was mooted. It only took a recognized significance in November 2006 at the end of a three-day workshop held by the Association of African Universities (AAU) in Accra to facilitate more effective integration of ICT into higher education’s core mandate of teaching, learning, research, and information management.
The institution after several years of consultations among its stakeholders was incorporated as a legal entity on August 24th, 2010, and now has over 40 institutions signed on as members: comprising 30 public institutions and 10 private institutions.
In other development, GARNET held its third Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the University for Development Studies (UDS) in August to discuss company matters and address resolutions. Reports at the well-attended AGM indicate that GARNET plans to increase its membership drive across Ghana to onboard more education and research institutions as well as organize workshops to build the technical capacity of its member institutions through direct engineering services.
