MainOne and ISOC team at the 2022 AfPif Event when MainOne was announced host of 2023 edition.

Ghana will host the 12th edition of the African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) this week.

This year's conference will be hosted by MainOne, an Equinix company, from 22 to 24 August.

AfPIF is an annual event co-organised by the Internet Society (ISOC) and the African IXP Association (AFIX) to promote interconnection among Internet service providers, content providers, and data centres in Africa.

It provides a forum for participants to share thoughts, discuss emerging trends, and foster channels for collaboration.

AfPIF's aim, according to the organisation, is to increase the quantity of Internet content and traffic shared locally in Africa.

This, it claims, is frequently accomplished through Internet exchange points (IXPs), which allow several networks to directly interact via shared infrastructure.

According to the organisation, this aggregation permits large-scale content distribution, which increases the Internet's speed, cost-effectiveness, and dependability while also reducing the region's dependency on international intermediaries.

"This event resonates deeply with our mission to drive digital inclusivity in our region by facilitating the localisation of Africa's internet traffic, which in turn improves the speed of content accessibility, lowers Internet access costs, and network latency," said Emmanuel Kwarteng, MainOne's country manager.

He added: “We are excited to facilitate meaningful dialogues and partnerships that will advance Africa's digital revolution."

According to Kyle Spencer, executive director of the African IXP Association, "AfPIF holds a unique position as a catalyst for enhancing interconnection and peering across Africa.

“We are looking forward to stimulating debates and collaborative initiatives that will propel the realisation of a more connected Africa."