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The recent increase in the number of universities coupled with the increase in the number of students enrolled at each university, witnessed in Sudan during the last 15 years, is not up to the aspiration of the nation to join the knowledge community club. This allows only for 7% of the age-group 18-24 to join higher education, something which puts Sudan far behind the worldwide leading nations where the percentage of the same age-group joining higher education lies between 50%-70%.Traditional approaches to bridge this gap prove to be inappropriate and insufficient. A much wider and faster track is highly needed. Recent unprecedented developments in ICT and their use in open and distance education pave the way for such broader and faster tracks for developing countries.The Open University of Sudan was established in 2002 to contribute to solving this problem, using the principles of Open and Distance Learning. In view of the existing limited resources of the country, the university relies on sharing existing resources, whether human or physical. The university also commissions for some of its activities, such as Radio and Television broadcasting. This helps the university to develop a cost effective and sustainable quality education system.The number of Educational Centers of the university now exceed 300, covering almost all of the Sudan. The university is well-known now for its role in solving the problem of teachers' qualification and training all over the Sudan. More than 100000 teachers are currently enrolled in the university, reading for Bachelor Degrees or Higher Diplomas in Education.The contribution of the university in the field of education proved to be highly significant. The university is trying to build a similar image in the field of research and community service. Its two training centres, one of Human Resources and the other of Self-employment, are envisaged to play nationwide and badly needed roles. Its plans to record and study Sudanese material and immaterial (i.e. oral) heritage is particularly ambitious.
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