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A seven-day capacity development training on bandwidth management opened in Accra on Monday with a call on African universities and institutions to ensure an efficient and cost-effective usage of the internet. Mr Gideon Quarcoo, Deputy Minister of Communications who made the call, said optimization had been a major problem for African universities, as it hindered the effective access and use of Information Communication and Technology (ICT). He explained that the problem had adversely affected teaching, learning and research, thereby limiting the ability of Sub-Saharan institutions to interact and collaborate with the global academic community. Mr Quarcoo noted that key areas for capacity development for effective bandwidth were meant to strengthen policy and management environments at institutional and national levels, technical skills capacity building and improved ICT leadership at institutional level. Professor Nii Quaynor Convenor of AfNOG said the goal of the workshop was to strengthen the network management skills of campus operators and to institutionalize capacity building. He urged participants to take advantage of the training to upgrade their knowledge base and skills for the advancement of ICT, to enable them to communicate among themselves effectively. The training, which is the preparatory workshop for 12 selected African universities and institutions, is organized by the African Network Operator Group (AfNOG) with funds from the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa. Participatory countries are Ghana, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.