Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had offered a proposal five years ago in Johannesburg to connect leading universities in India with those in African Nations using a Satellite and Fiber Optic Network that would provide effective communication and connectivity among the Nations.Current External Affairs Minister, Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the Pan-African e-network which would primarily provide Tele-education, Telemedicine, Internet, video-conferencing, VOIP services and also support egovernance, e-commerce, infotainment, resource mapping and meteorological services with counterparts from 11 African countries
The project aims to bridge students from India with 53 African countries and thereby leveraging the knowledge pool by erasing the digital divide. Birla Institute of Technology and Science, BITS-Pilani is one of the 7 elite educational institutions in India given the honor to be a part of the shining South-South cooperation& e-connectivity project.