Training sessions on best practices to set up internet exchange points (IXPs) are being conducted in the African island nation of Comoros.

The African Union Commission (AUC) in partnership with Comoros’ Ministry of Transportation, Post and Telecommunications, Communication and Tourism of Comoros has organised the workshop in conjunction with France-IX.

France-IX’s managing director, Franck Simon, is giving the training session on Monday and Tuesday.

Simon has already given two training sessions in Conakry in 2012 and 2013, according to France-IX.

The training forms part of the AUC’s African Internet Exchange System (AXIS) project following an African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 31 January 2010 that undertook to strengthen national programmes and regional cooperation for the deployment of regional IXPs.

Africa is largely paying overseas carriers to exchange “local” traffic, which is both a costly and inefficient way of handling inter-country exchanges.

The AXIS project therefore aims to keep Africa’s internet traffic local by providing capacity building and technical assistance to facilitate the establishment of IXPs and Regional IXPs in Africa.

Meanwhile, France-IX is an international internet exchange based in France, offering IPv4 and IPv6 public and private peering to internet services providers, content delivery networks and other types of internet networks.