Selects 16 Fellows to Attend Africa’s Premier Peering Event in Maputo, Mozambique
Addis Ababa – The Internet Society today announced that it has selected 16 fellows to attend the 6th African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), which will be held from 25–27 August 2015 in Maputo, Mozambique. This year’s AfPIF Fellowship programme attracted more than 280 applications from around the world, with the 16 selected fellows representing 16 countries.
AfPIF facilitates discussions on African Internet infrastructure challenges, including terrestrial capacity, national and regional Internet Exchange Point (IXP) development, local content development, connectivity costs, and international peering. The AfPIF Fellowship programme provides qualified applicants the opportunity to attend the event, share experiences and exchange ideas to advance and influence national/regional policies on peering and cross-border Internet interconnection.
“The AfPIF Fellowships are a significant part of our work. They aim to support attendees who would not otherwise have the opportunity to attend the event. As a result, this helps to increase the continental representation at the forum and to further the vision for an interconnected Africa,” said Dawit Bekele, Internet Society African Bureau Regional Director.
Mr. Bekele continued, “We are thankful to our sponsors who have enabled us to bring more people by supporting this fellowship programme, and to the Fellowship Committee for their diligent work in selecting these highly-qualified individuals to benefit from this year’s program.”
The 2015 AfPIF Fellows are:
• Abdoulie Sowe (Gambia), Serekunda Internet Exchange Point
• Adelard Kenese (Burundi), BURUNDIX
• Foncham Denis Doh (Cameroon), Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications
• Ikusan Charles Abimbola (Nigeria), Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria
• Chris Oleke (Uganda), National Information Technology Authority
• Emmanuel Antwi Kwarteng (Ghana), Ghana Internet Exchange
• Ghislain nkeramugaba (Rwanda), Rwanda Information and Communication Technology Association
• Ismail Settenda (Tanzania), Tanzania Internet Service Providers Association
• John Bettie Gizea (Liberia), Liberia Internet Exchange Point Association
• Koffi Kouadio Armand (Cote D’Ivoire), Cote D’Ivoire Internet Exchange Point
• KOUMA Cyriaque-Didier (Gabon), Gab-IX
• Mamothokoane Tlali (Lesotho), Lesotho Internet Exchange point
• Mohamed Ben Yahia (Tunisia), Tunisian Internet Agency
• Nico Tshintu Bakajika (Democratic Republic of Congo), Kinshasa Internet eXchange Point
• Roderick Esquibal (Benin), Isocel Telecom
• Yassia Savadogo (Burkina Faso), ARCEP
Following the formalization of the fellowship programme at AfPIF-2014 in Dakar, the Internet Society African Regional Bureau received encouraging feedback from the fellows. Many delivered tangible benefits to their local peering community and have shared their experiences in the articles posted on:
“We hope that the experiences shared will inspire others to contribute towards the vision of realizing 80 percent local and 20 percent international Internet traffic in Africa by 2020,” said Michuki Mwangi, Internet Society’s Senior Development Manager for Africa.
Details of the Internet Society’s AfPIF Fellowship are available on the AfPIF 2015 website.
About the Internet Society
The Internet Society is the trusted independent source for Internet information and thought leadership from around the world. It is also the organizational home for the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF). With its principled vision and substantial technological foundation, the Internet Society promotes open dialogue on Internet policy, technology, and future development among users, companies, governments, and other organizations. Working with its members and Chapters around the world, the Internet Society enables the continued evolution and growth of the Internet for everyone.
Media Contact: Betel Hailu, hailu@isoc.org