African Government Representatives Gather In Kigali To Discuss Internet Protocol Version 6 Adoption And Deployment
By Celestine Okorie, Bureau Chief, Southern Africa
Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Authority(RURA) together with the Regional Internet Registry for Africa (AFRINIC ) and Africa Telecommunication Union (ATU) hosted the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) Deployment Workshop for African Governments, taking place in Kigali, from May 22-23, 2023.
This two- day workshop is so important as it brings together key decision-makers from African ICT policy makers like ministries, and regulators to explore ways in which the African governments can drive IPv6 adoption, identify key projects that can turn the tides of IPv6 deployment, and create an Action Plan to inspire and spur all stakeholders to deploy IPv6 in their respective countries.
The aim of this workshop is not merely to discuss, but to enlighten and empower, providing valuable insights and recommendations for driving IPv6 adoption in Africa.
Delivering his opening remarks, the Acting Director-General of RURA, Emile Patrick Baganizi, said that the World was witnessing a crucial moment in the capacity building in internet development.
”The rapid growth of digital technologies has led to a significant increase in the number of connected devices, creating unprecedented demand for internet connectivity,” said RURA DG Baganizi.
He added: ”This demand is expected to continue to grow exponentially over the coming years, with projections indicating that there could be as many as 30 billion connected devices by 2030.”
It was also noted that the growth of IPv4 comes with challenges, particularly with respect to the availability of IP addresses. The current IPv4 has only around 4million unique IP addresses in the pool of AFRINIC, meaning that the exhaustion of available IPv4 addresses is rapidly approaching.
It is expected that the adoption of IPv6 will be offering a vastly larger address space, which can support the growth of the internet and meet the needs of the digital transformation that Africa is aspired to embark on.
African government representatives attending the workshop, agreed that adoption of IPv6 is very critical to the future success of the internet, and to the ability of businesses, governments, and individuals to participate fully in the digital economy.
“The benefits of IPv6 are clear. It provides a larger address space, which can support the growth of the internet and enable the deployment of new applications and services,” Baganizi pointed out.
Speaking at the opening of the workshop, the Secretary-General of the African Telecommunications Union, John Omo highlighted the importance of this workshop as the IPv6 Deployment is meant to contribute to Africa’s digital transformation.
“This workshop signifies an important milestone for African government in their quest for effective IPv6 deployment across their respective countries, aligning perfectly with the objectives of ITU Resolution 180, adopted during the Plenipotentiary Meeting in Bucharest in 2022,” ATU SG Omo highlighted.
This resolution invites Member States, Sector Members, and various entities, both governmental and private, including academic institutions and civil society, to promote national initiatives that foster necessary information exchange and coordination for IPv6 deployment
