🌐

West African Peering Forum 2021 Summary

Aug 21, 2024

West African Peering Forum 2021 Notes

Introduction

  • Host: Ghislain Nkeramugaba
  • Focus: Peering and interconnection ecosystem in West Africa
  • Objective: Improve network connectivity and provide reliable, high-speed internet at low costs
  • Sponsors: Flexoptix, PAIX, WAPF, AFRINIC, MainOne, RackCentre, Facebook, Team Cymru

Agenda Overview

  1. Opening Remarks - Muhammed Rudman, CEO of IXP Nigeria
  2. Djoliba Project Overview - Ndiogou Fall, Orange
  3. Mombasa to Kinshasa Infrastructure - Ben Roberts, Liquid Intelligent Technologies
  4. Security in Network Infrastructure - Brian Davenport, Team Cymru
  5. Cloud Infrastructure Discussion - Aderemi Adejumo, Cloudflex

Opening Remarks by Muhammed Rudman

  • West Africa: 16 countries, 13 with Internet Exchange Points (IXPs)
  • Historical context: Previously only Nigeria, Ghana, and Abidjan had IXPs
  • Current IXP statistics: Nigeria leads with 271 Autonomous System Numbers
  • Total traffic for the region: 355 Gbps, with Nigeria having the highest traffic

Djoliba Project by Ndiogou Fall (Orange)

  • Objective: Connect main capitals of West Africa using underwater sea cables
  • Benefits of Djoliba:
    • Improved network security and integration
    • Reduced issues with broken land cables
    • Centralized connectivity and reduced latency
  • Infrastructure:
    • 10,000 km of fiber optic cable
    • 85 Points of Presence (POPs) globally, 13 in Africa
    • Future plans for expansion into Liberia and Sierra Leone

Mombasa to Kinshasa by Ben Roberts (Liquid Intelligent Technologies)

  • Discussion of infrastructure trends during the pandemic
  • Shift of internet traffic from offices to home and increased collaboration
  • Importance of IXPs and reducing latency for cloud services
  • Highlighted the ongoing infrastructure development and challenges faced in remote areas of Africa
  • Emphasis on the need for more interconnection between countries

Security Framework by Brian Davenport (Team Cymru)

  • Team Cymru's mission: Build free tools for internet security community
  • Key tools offered:
    • Bogon reference for IP address filtering
    • Nimbus for traffic analysis and monitoring
    • Community DDoS mitigation through the Unwanted Traffic Removal Service (UTRS)
  • Collaboration with national Computer Security Incident Response Teams (CSIRTs) for better security practices

Cloud Infrastructure by Aderemi Adejumo (Cloudflex)

  • Cloudflex established in 2016 to provide local cloud services in Nigeria
  • Challenges include lack of awareness about local data centers and the need for investment in infrastructure
  • Connectivity through IXPs reduces latency to below 50 ms
  • Plans for expanding cloud services to support local businesses in Africa

Key Takeaways

  • Collaboration among various stakeholders is essential for developing the peering ecosystem in West Africa.
  • There are significant challenges such as lack of investment, policy regulations, and capacity building.
  • Future events and discussions will continue to focus on the development of interconnection and digital infrastructure in the region.

Audience Engagement

  • Questions addressed regarding the Djoliba project, its benefits, bandwidth capacity, and challenges of the Mombasa-Kinshasa route.
  • Participants emphasized the need for a collaborative approach to overcome challenges and improve the ecosystem.

Full transcript