Mauritius-based African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), an IP address management institution, intends to contribute to the development of the digital industry in Africa by helping deal with the challenges faced in this sector. This year, Eddy Kayihura, AFRINIC CEO, has launched an extensive mobilization program that will be carried out in about twenty countries. 

Eddy Kayihura (photo), CEO of the African Network Information Centre, recently embarked on an African tour in his bid to reach his 2022 goal of contributing to the development of the digital industry. The tour is aimed at mobilizing AFRINIC member countries around a common goal, which is to join forces for secure and stable internet services in Africa. In its framework, AFRINIC representatives will visit about twenty countries, including Côte d’Ivoire and Benin that have already been visited by the representatives.  

For Eddy Kayihura, this tour is an opportunity to improve the services offered by AFRINIC by notably establishing a presence in the various member countries. That way, the center can understand member countries’ specificities as well as discuss their goals and challenges to make sure the center is aligning its services with ground realities.

"To offer improved services, we have to get closer to [member countries], listen to their problems, and present new products.  Our members include Internet service providers, governments, and digital stakeholders. We will meet them, discuss current issues and explore ways to better serve them,” he explained.  

The mobilization program is also expected to bring in new members. With the development of the digital industry, cybercrimes are ever-present threats. To this end, Eddy Kayihura reveals, AFRINIC has created new technologies to face those threats.  One of the new technologies created is the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPV6), the new version of IP addressing, which is the foundation of network connectivity and the internet. According to the CEO, member countries are lagging in the adoption of that new version. So, during the tour, AFRINIC will also discuss with members to find the best approaches to facilitate that adoption. 

AFRINIC is a non-profit organization that manages Africa's IP addresses. It provides blocks of IP addresses and allows its members to establish their own digital identity, certifying the origin of their internet traffic. Since 2004, the institution has served some 2,000 members in Africa. Eddy Kayihura plans to add 900 more members. 

The CEO, who has over 20 years of experience in the IT sector holds a B.S. in IT from the University of Rwanda and an MBA in international business from Oklahoma Christian University. He worked for the Bank of Kigali in Rwanda, where he contributed to the initial stages of the bank’s digital transformation. He also held a management position at Broadband System Corporation, an internet service provider in Rwanda. In November 2019, he joined AFRINIC, with a mission to contribute to the success of the institution’s digital strategy. 

Aïsha Moyouzame