IXPN MARKS ANNIVERSARY WITH FOCUS ON INTERNET RESILIENCE

The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria is marking its 20th anniversary with a programme focused on strengthening internet resilience, developing technical talent and improving local connectivity.

The month-long “20 Years of Building Nigeria’s Internet” programme will bring together students, network operators, data centre companies, regulators and other stakeholders to examine the country’s internet infrastructure and its future needs.

IXPN, established in 2006, provides a neutral platform for internet service providers, telecom operators, content providers and data centres to exchange traffic locally. This helps reduce the need for domestic traffic to travel through international routes.

As part of the anniversary activities, about 100 students from tertiary institutions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones will participate in an Internet Infrastructure Discovery Programme.

IXPN will also collaborate with the Nigeria IPv6 Council and AFRINIC on capacity-building for network operators, engineers and other technical stakeholders.

The programme will include a women-focused forum on careers in network engineering, data centres, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity and internet governance.

IXPN said the anniversary would also feature the Nigeria Peering and Interconnection Forum and culminate in an awards dinner in Lagos on October 30.

The organisation said stronger interconnection and technical capacity would be critical as demand for digital services continues to grow.