Lagos, the commercial capital of Nigeria will host the 2017 edition of the African Network Information Center Policy meeting tagged AFRINIC-27 from November 27 to December 2, 2017.
AFRINIC-27 is a follow-up meeting to the African Internet Summit (AIS) 2017 that was held in Nairobi, Kenya from May 20 to June 2, 2017.
The meeting to be hosted by AFRINIC in collaboration with the Nigerian Internet Registration Association (NiRA) is a platform for technocrats and business to discuss policies, trends, resources and challenges in growing Internet for sustainable development in Africa and the Indian Ocean Region.
AFRINIC Meetings are held twice a year and they are rotated in countries across the continent. They provide a platform for all African governments and global stakeholders to discuss and benchmark issues regarding Internet policy, Internet governance, ICT4D, Internet access and technical capacity building.
The AFRINIC 27 meeting will provide a platform for delegates to deliberate and address the following key questions among others: What strategies can we use to drive IPv6 Deployment throughout the continent? How can we improve and expand Internet infrastructure to ensure low cost, resilient and secure Internet access and keep our content and traffic local? How do we ensure affordable, always-on Internet access for all so that all African citizens can reach their potential?
Other questions to be addressed are: What are the policies guiding Internet number resource distribution in Africa and how do we ensure that all stakeholders participate in the Policy Development Process (PDP)? How can we keep our networks safe from cyberattacks, DDoSs and shutdowns? And How can we harness the power of the Internet to help end poverty and ensure prosperity for all?
The event which will be held in both English and French is a five-day event with opportunities for discussions, debates and networking. It will comprise of sessions and activities which will include keynotes speeches, panel discussions and plenary sessions, trainings; and hackathons, research and academic paper presentations.
There will also be sessions for industry and technology briefings and discussions; consultation meetings, focus groups, and roundtables, and exhibitions among others.
One of the expected outcomes of the AFRINIC-27 is improved multi-stakeholder dialogue between governments, regulators, network operators and Internet users in order to harness the power of the Internet to improve Africa’s education, business and social development.
The event is also expected to enhance increased participation in the AFRINIC Policy Development Process (PDP) and greater awareness of why Internet numbering policy in Africa and beyond remains a top priority for Internet development.
Enhanced cross-community dialogue on Internet security, data protection and privacy to ensure the safety, sustainability and continuity of Africa’s Internet is another expected outcome of the event.
It is also expected to ensure a deeper awareness across the continent of the urgent need to deploy IPv6, how to roll out IPv6 and why the future of Africa’s Internet depends on its deployment.
The meeting is also expected to ensure mutual support for strengthening infrastructure throughout the region and the necessity of keeping Africa’s traffic and content local to drive down access costs and development of strategies to overcome current barriers to access and to connect the unconnected.
AFRINIC exists to expand the Internet for the sustainable development of Africa through a number of ways and one of the ways in which AFRINIC implements this vision is through major events held around the continent to champion this debate.
