Hosted by MainOne, this year’s conference is scheduled to take place from August 22nd to 24th, 2023.

AfPIF, an annual event jointly organized by the Internet Society (ISOC) and the African IXP Association (AFIX), is dedicated to fostering interconnection between Internet service providers, content providers, and data centers throughout the African region. It serves as a unique platform for participants to exchange insights, deliberate on emerging trends, and cultivate avenues for collaboration.

AfPIF’s mission is to increase the amount of Internet content and traffic exchanged locally in Africa. This is commonly achieved via Internet exchange points (IXPs) which enable multiple networks to directly interconnect through common infrastructure.

This aggregation facilitates large-scale content distribution which improves the speed, cost-effectiveness, and reliability of the Internet. It also reduces the region’s reliance on international intermediaries.

Emmanuel Kwarteng, the Country Manager of MainOne Ghana, expressed enthusiasm about the event, stating, “Hosting the peering community in Ghana is a tremendous honour for us at MainOne, and we are excited to welcome participants across Africa and beyond to the vibrant city of Accra, the gateway to Africa as we call it. This event resonates deeply with our mission to drive digital inclusivity in our region by facilitating the localization of Africa’s internet traffic, which in turn improves the speed of content accessibility, lowers internet access costs and network latency. We look forward to facilitating meaningful discussions and partnerships that will further accelerate Africa’s digital transformation.”

Kyle Spencer, the Executive Director of the African IXP Association, added his perspective, saying, “AfPIF holds a unique position as a catalyst for enhancing interconnection and peering across Africa. As we gather in Accra, we renew our commitment to strengthening the digital fabric of our continent. By encouraging the local exchange of Internet traffic, AfPIF contributes significantly to the growth of the African digital ecosystem, driving economic progress and empowering communities. We look forward to inspiring discussions and collaborative efforts that will drive the realization of a more connected Africa.”

The forthcoming AfPIF event promises to be a dynamic and captivating event, featuring a lineup of keynote addresses, panel discussions, technical sessions, and invaluable networking opportunities.

Attendees can anticipate gaining profound insights into the most recent industry trends, networking with industry experts, and uncovering opportunities for peering and interconnection within the African landscape.

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Speaking at the event, Oluwasayo Oshadami, GM Technical Solutions at MainOne, examined the internet landscape in Africa and the current state of broadband connectivity on the Continent.

Oshadami noted that “Africa needs to retain more of its local traffic within the continent by leveraging Data Centers to directly interconnect operators and exchange traffic at lower bandwidth costs, lower latency and improved efficiency.’’

Highlight of the event was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between AMS-IX, one of the largest Internet Exchange operators in the world, and MDXi, MainOne’s Data Center subsidiary and an Equinix Company, to grow Internet Exchange services in Africa.

This strategic partnership between AMS-IX and MDXi, an Equinix company will deliver improved interconnection capabilities for existing and new customers, further facilitating the distribution of content across the West African region.

The event ended with the announcement of MainOne as host of the 12^th edition of AfPIF to take place in Accra, Ghana in 2023 following a successful bid process.

The African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) is an annual event organized by the African IXP Association (AFIX) in partnership with the Internet Society.

AfPIF by MainOne is a multi-stakeholder forum that aims to address key opportunities and challenges related network interconnection within the region in order to expand and develop the African Internet.

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