Eulogising Dr Boubakar Barry

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We have learnt with profound shock and sadness about the untimely death of Dr Boubakar Barry, the Chief Executive Officer of WACREN, one of the prominent figures of the African Internet fraternity, and a strong supporter of AFRINIC across the years. Dr Barry’s untimely passing is a profound loss not only for his family but also for AFRINIC and the entire African Internet community. We remember Dr Barry as a friend and a brother to many. AFRINIC has lost a dear friend, a dedicated and passionate visionary leader.

We extend our deepest condolences to Dr Barry’s family.

May his remarkable achievements forever be celebrated and serve as a reminder of the profound impact he made on the African Internet Community.

Roles and Contributions

Dr Barry led the growth of WACREN to its current stature. He was in charge of the effective and efficient management of the organisation, as mandated by the Board.

He was instrumental to the establishment of national research and education networks in Africa and a key player in the conduct of the feasibility study of the EU-funded AfricaConnect project.

From 1997 to 2020, Boubakar was Chairman of the Steering Committee of the Network Information Centre of Senegal that manages the country-code top-level domain .SN. He was Director of the Computer Centre of the premier university of Senegal (Cheikh Anta Diop University) from 1998 to 2006, where he also lectured Computer Networks and Electronics.  As Director of the Computer Centre, Boubakar established the first Cisco Regional Academy in Francophone West and Central Africa in 2004, serving 13 local Cisco academies throughout Senegal.
In 2006, he joined the Association of African Universities (AAU), based in Accra, as the Coordinator of the Research and Education Networking Unit (RENU). During his seven years at AAU, Dr Barry facilitated the establishment of research and education networks in Africa, particularly in West and Central Africa.

In 2014, Dr Boubakar Barry received the Network Information & Infrastructure (NII) Service Award at the African Internet Summit event held in Djibouti. Dr. Barry won the award for his commitment to capacity building and Internet development in Africa. Dr Barry was involved in capacity building through the Research and Education Networking Unit of the Association of African Universities for many years and was a key player in the African Internet community.

As a convener of the Africa Research and Education Network (AfREN) and CEO of the West and Central African Research and Education Network (WACREN), Dr Barry was the sixth winner of the NI&I Award. The NI&I Service Award was set up to reward individuals and/or organisations providing Internet working services and Infrastructure in Africa. 

Read more about Dr Barry’s recognition here.
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