15 February 2023

The Coalition for Digital Africa announced that it plans to invest in improving five existing Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in Africa.

The initiative is supported by a grant from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and will be implemented by the Internet Society (ISOC). It aims to improve internet access on the continent by making it faster and more affordable.

The Coalition for Digital Africa will identify five IXPs based on their potential through an assessment tool developed by ISOC. The latter will put in place a clear plan for growth and development adapted to the interests of the regions in which the IXPs are located. The action plans will be implemented by local managers recruited and trained for this purpose by ISOC.

The project is part of a series of initiatives announced by the Coalition for Digital Africa when it was established last December to improve access to quality high-speed internet connectivity on the continent. The organization had announced that it would strengthen the domain name system (DNS) infrastructure so that it could respond to rapid growth, among other things.

“IXPs make Internet access cheaper and more reliable. They are an essential resource for making the Internet accessible to everyone,” said Andrew Sullivan, ISOC president and CEO. "The Internet Society is grateful for this investment from ICANN that will help bring Internet access to more people across the continent.”