I was recently again involved in discussions about improving internet connectivity in Africa. The current situation, in terms of internet connectivity on the continental scale, revealed a landscape of both progress and potential:

• A robust backbone: Africa’s internet infrastructure is already impressive—a ring of subsea cables encircles the continent, providing critical connectivity.
• Local exchange, global reach: Major Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) in Johannesburg and Nairobi keep African traffic local, reducing latency and costs.
• New hubs emerging: #German DE-CIX - which provides network interconnection services and operates several carrier and data center neutral internet exchanges internationally - is expanding this network with IXPs in Kinshasa (ACIX) and Lagos (AF-CIX), further strengthening regional resilience.

Yet, challenges remain. Vulnerabilities persist: Damage to subsea cables can still disrupt connectivity, and repair capacities are limited, leading to prolonged outages.

The takeaway? Africa is building its own digital future—with strong foundations already in place, but still in need of further investment to ensure reliability and reach.

#DigitalAfrica #InternetInfrastructure #Connectivity #DECIX #IXP