Internet exchange points (IXPs) make it possible to connect different local networks and thus guarantee fast and reliable data traffic. In the absence of regional IXPs, users resort to international connections. This is the case in Africa. Most of Africa’s internet traffic takes place outside the continent. This results in high costs and delays that could be avoided by using local networks.
This problem was the topic of this year’s Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), which brought together African and global stakeholders to promote the development and expansion of the internet in Africa. There, Michuki Mwangi of the Internet Society reported that the spread of new IXPs is progressing. However, there needs to be more collaboration between the sectors involved in order to use them effectively.
After Covid-19 prevented the in-person event for the past two years, the AfPIF was able to take place again this August. The Forum was held for the first time in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda.
More information about the digital transformation in Africa can be found on the page of our political initiative SADA.
