If you are passionate about ICT policy, Peering, and Interconnection, then the Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) is the place to be. The 7th annual AfPIF takes place in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania from 30 August – 1 September 2016. AfPIF is a multistakeholder forum organized by the Internet Society that brings together a diverse range of business leaders, infrastructure providers, Internet service providers (ISPs), Internet Exchange Points (IXPs), international financial institutions, policy-makers, and regulators from all over the world.

By attending AfPIF, you will get a better insight into how IXPs in Africa operate and how they sustain their activities. You will have the opportunity to meet regional IXP staff and talk about the key issues and challenges they face when dealing with Internet number resources and the wider Internet industry. You will also get an opportunity to interact with AFRINIC staff, who have been very active in meeting the interconnection needs of Africa through their IPv6 training courses, AFRINIC Government Working Group (AfGWG), and Fund for Internet Research and Education (FIRE Africa) among others. Don’t forget to ask them how to get Internet number resources, and the implications of IPv4 exhaustion.

By working together, we’ll build solutions to things like boosting local content, streamlining infrastructure, and lowering the cost of connectivity. This is an important and exciting time, especially considering Africa is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies. And if you don’t have an IXP in your city or country, you will learn how to build one from scratch. The full program for the event is available here. To paraphrase Tanzania’s new President mantra, “Hapa Kazi tu”. Here its Just Work.