The Malawi Research and Education Network (MAREN) has successfully joined eduGAIN, a major global interfederation service that enables secure, seamless access to thousands of research and educational digital services worldwide. This move, finalized after a two-year certification process, significantly boosts Malawi’s connectivity to global academic resources.
With this development, students, researchers, faculty, and staff at institutions connected through MAREN can now access a vast range of online tools and services—including academic publishers, virtual laboratories, and collaborative platforms—using just their institutional credentials. The integration positions Malawi among over 70 federations already linked through eduGAIN, providing local institutions with new opportunities for international collaboration and research.
The certification journey began in early 2023 and involved several months of intensive technical preparation, including the deployment of federated identity systems such as OpenLDAP and Shibboleth Identity Providers (IdPs). MAREN also met stringent policy and metadata compliance requirements to gain acceptance into eduGAIN.
This achievement was made possible by the concerted efforts of the MAREN Technical Team, led by the CEO and Systems Engineer, in collaboration with the eduGAIN Secretariat and the UbuntuNet Alliance—the regional Research and Education Network that facilitated MAREN’s participation.
eduGAIN’s importance lies in its ability to streamline digital access. It allows users to log in to numerous international academic platforms without juggling multiple accounts, significantly improving user experience and fostering a more efficient research environment. For MAREN, the integration not only enhances its national role but also aligns its operations with global best practices in digital identity and access management.
To take advantage of eduGAIN, institutions must first join the MAREN-coordinated national federation. This includes setting up a compatible Identity Provider (IdP), adhering to federation policies, and enabling metadata exchange with MAREN’s hub. Once configured, institutions can securely connect to eduGAIN-enabled platforms across the world, promoting innovation, efficiency, and growth in Malawi’s academic and research landscape.