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AFRINIC is now the only RIR able to freely allocate IPv4 address space to its members marking a significant milestone in the evolution of the global Internet.

ARIN, the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for Canada, many Caribbean and North Atlantic islands and the United States, announced on 1 July 2015 that it has activated its "Unmet Request Policy". This means that ARIN has effectively depleted its free pool of IPv4 address space, making it the fourth of the world’s five RIRs to do so. This leaves AFRINIC, the RIR for Africa and the Indian Ocean, as the only RIR with an as-yet unrestricted pool of IPv4 from which to allocate to its members.

As of 1 July, ARIN members can now only receive IPv4 space if unused IPv4 space is returned to ARIN and is redistributed to those on the waiting list, or if they qualify for an allocation from the reserved IPv4 space in ARIN’s ‘Last /8’, which was set aside to facilitate IPv6 deployment, or via external IPv4 transfer markets. APNIC – the RIR for the Asia Pacific Region - was the first RIR to exhaust its supply of IPv4 address space back in 2011 and the RIPE NCC (Europe, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia) followed quickly in 2012. LACNIC (Latin America and the Caribbean) reached its exhaustion trigger level in June 2014.

 

IPv6 Deployment Now More Critical Than Ever

The five RIRs have worked with their respective communities over the last decade to ensure that IPv4 exhaustion makes an as little impact as possible on the smooth functioning of the Internet. As the supply of available IPv4 address space becomes critically low, more and more new connections will be made over IPv6 as opposed to IPv4. The future of the Internet will be over IPv6 and, unless African networks and businesses also transition, they risk becoming isolated from the global Internet. AFRINIC offers free training on IPv6 deployment to network engineers, academics and governments throughout the region as part of its capacity-building activities. It also provides an IPv6 testbed for engineers to test their deployments and offers information and statistics on IPv6 and what IPv4 exhaustion means for the local, regional and global Internet.

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Cybercity Ebene, Mauritius

 

Badru Ntege, the Chairman of AFRINIC's Board, announces today that AFRINIC’s founding CEO, Mr. Adiel A. Akplogan, will be leaving his position on 31st January 2015.

"It is with great humility and a bright vision for AFRINIC's future that I'm leaving my position as CEO of AFRINIC,” said Mr. Akplogan. “It was not an easy decision for me to take, but after 10 years of engagement with and for the community, the time has come for me to move on and spare time to catch up with my family. It has been an honour to serve the AFRINIC community, and watch it grow into the incredibly dynamic and engaging body it has now become.”

After leading AFRINIC’s accreditation process to become the world’s fifth Regional Internet Registry (RIR), Mr. Akplogan was appointed by the Board and became AFRINIC’s first CEO in June 2004. Under his leadership, AFRINIC has made significant progress and has grown into a respected regional organisation, positioning Africa as a key player in the regional and global Internet technical community. Over these years, AFRINIC has also acquired a solid reputation amongst its peers, its members, other stakeholders as well as the global Internet industry.

"Mr Akplogan has been exemplary in nurturing AFRINIC from inception, providing outstanding leadership over his ten years as CEO. He built a workforce at the Secretariat with the potential and capability to continue the great work started. It has been an honour and a privilege for me to work with a CEO like Mr. Akplogan,” said Badru Ntege, Chairman of the AFRINIC Board of Directors. "AFRINIC's success today is unequivocally a testament to his tireless efforts in building a sound organization centred on collaboration, consensus building, Internet-centred value. We hope that, as a community, we will continue to benefit from his experience and passion. On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Mr. Akplogan for his engagement with the community and his service over the past 10 years at AFRINIC, and wish him all the best for his future endeavours."

Passionate about the Internet and its values, Mr. Akplogan has always campaigned for an Internet in Africa that is open and affordable to effectively support permission-less innovation as a driver for sustainable socio-economical development in the region.

“Our region is so full of potentials, especially when it comes to the digital economy, and AFRINIC must continue to position itself to ensure it plays a critical role in supporting the upcoming changes,” concluded Mr. Akplogan. “At this junction, I would like to extend my deepest gratitude to all those who have contributed to the success of AFRINIC and to the great team that we have built up over the years that has supported the growth of the organisation and the community. Together we have achieved great things for both Africa and AFRINIC and without your dedication and the support of the various Boards over the years, none of this would have been possible. I have the utmost confidence that AFRINIC will continue to grow stronger and stronger in the coming years."

A farewell event will be organised for the outgoing CEO during AFRINIC-21 meeting being held in Mauritius from 22-28 November. We would like to invite the community to join us for this special event.

 

Appointment of a New CEO

AFRINIC Board of Directors will immediately launch a CEO search process that will culminate in the appointment of a new CEO as soon as possible. In the meantime, all measure will be taken to ensure a smooth transition including business continuity.

 

 

 

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