This past week marked a significant milestone for MAREN in our mission to enhance digital connectivity across Malawi’s academic institutions. Through Direct Engineering Assistance (DEA) provided by our team of skilled engineers, MAREN successfully implemented Eduroam at the Lilongwe University of Agriculture and Natural Resources (LUANAR). This achievement represents a vital step forward in fostering global connectivity for LUANAR’s students and staff.

As a secure, worldwide Wi-Fi service, Eduroam (short for “Education Roaming”) enables students, researchers, and staff to seamlessly access Wi-Fi networks at participating institutions around the world. With Eduroam now deployed, LUANAR has joined this global network, greatly simplifying Internet access for its academic community both locally and internationally. Locally, LUANAR now joins other institutions, including the University of Malawi (UNIMA), Mzuzu University (MZUNI), and Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences (MUBAS), meaning that users from any of these institutions will enjoy seamless Internet access whenever they visit each other’s campuses.

As part of this initiative, MAREN also established an Identity Provider (IdP) for LUANAR, integrating it into MAREN’s Identity Federation. This integration allows LUANAR students and staff to securely authenticate across various digital services using their institutional credentials. With this development, LUANAR becomes the fifth public university in Malawi to participate in the piloting of single-sign-on deployment for the Research4Life Journal.

LUANAR’s integration into MAREN’s Identity Federation further extends its capabilities through access to eduGAIN, a global service that interconnects identity federations worldwide. This allows LUANAR’s students and researchers to access a broad spectrum of research and educational resources seamlessly, even when they are away from campus. Unlike the traditional Internet Protocol (IP)-based authentication that restricts access to on-campus networks, eduGAIN enables students and staff to benefit from academic resources anytime, anywhere.

 

 

At MAREN, we see these advancements as more than just technological upgrades—they are transformative steps toward enriching the academic experience at LUANAR. Secure and seamless Wi-Fi connectivity ensures that students and staff can focus on their learning and research endeavors without technological barriers. Furthermore, integration with global networks like eduGAIN positions LUANAR as a center of innovation and collaboration within higher education.

This accomplishment underscores MAREN’s commitment to leveraging technology and collaboration to transform education and research across Malawi. We are proud of the potential these developments hold for the LUANAR community and look forward to witnessing their impact on teaching, learning, and research at the university.