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Nigeria is set to host the 15th African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) from August 19th to 21st, 2025, in Lagos. The event will bring together over 500 global Internet industry leaders to shape the future of Africa’s digital landscape.
Organised by the African IXP Association (AFIX in collaboration with the Internet Society (ISOC) and hosted by the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Rack Centre, and AF-CIX, the forum will serve as a critical platform for advancing Africa’s Internet infrastructure, reducing costs, and strengthening digital sovereignty.
AfPIF, now in its 15th year, has been instrumental in fostering local network interconnection, traffic exchange, and digital infrastructure development across Africa. This year’s event the first to be held in Nigeria, Africa’s largest economy will focus on West Africa’s policy environment, carrier-neutral data centres, and content delivery ecosystems.
By Gamuchirai Mapako
Kyle Spencer, Executive Director of the African IXP Association, emphasised the forum’s impact “AfPIF has spurred investment in data centers, content hosting, and cross-border infrastructure, reducing costs, improving performance, and expanding access while enhancing Africa’s economic independence and digital sovereignty.”
The three-day event, taking place at the Lagos Continental Hotel, will feature workshops and keynotes on Internet infrastructure and policy, panel discussions on digital sovereignty and regional connectivity, peering bilateral for businesses to negotiate interconnection deals and lightning talks and networking socials to foster partnerships
Michuki Mwangi, Distinguished Technologist at the Internet Society, highlighted the significance of hosting AfPIF in Nigeria stating, “Lagos is the perfect place to reimagine Africa’s peering and interconnection future. We’ll address critical gaps, such as East-West terrestrial infrastructure, to improve Internet resilience.”
As Africa’s most populous nation and largest Internet market, Nigeria’s hosting of AfPIF underscores its growing influence in digital infrastructure development.
AfPIF 2025 is tailored for Chief Technology Officers (CTOs) and Peering Coordinators, Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and Telecom Operators, Policy Makers and Regulators, Content Providers and Data Center Managers and Infrastructure Providers and Academics.
A major goal of AfPIF is to keep African Internet traffic local, reducing reliance on overseas routing, which increases costs and latency. By promoting local peering and cross-border interconnection, the forum aims to lower data costs for end-users, improve Internet speeds by hosting content within Africa and enhancing digital resilience against global disruptions.
Despite progress, Africa still faces hurdles in terrestrial fiber connectivity, policy harmonisation, and investment in local content hosting. AfPIF 2025 will tackle these issues while exploring opportunities in cloud computing and AI-driven networks, submarine cable expansion, community networks for rural connectivity amongst others.
With Africa’s Internet penetration growing but still lagging behind global averages, forums like AfPIF are crucial in bridging the digital divide. By fostering partnerships between governments, private sector players, and tech innovators, the event will help shape policies and infrastructure that drive inclusive digital growth.
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