The launch of the largest exchange point in Central Africa to fight the digital divide in the Democratic Republic of Congo took place this Monday, May 22, 2023. This new exchange point called Africa Congo Internet Exchange (“ACIX”) has was created in partnership by the NGO “Internet for all” and the German company DE-CIX, world leader in the sector, with the support of the Digital Development Agency.
The objective of this new exchange is to allow Internet operators to interconnect and exchange about traffic via a routing protocol, facilitating the transit of content, emails and all other forms of Internet traffic. , such as social media, video on demand, etc. Although the Democratic Republic of Congo currently benefits from three exchange points (in Kinshasa, Goma and Lubumbashi), these infrastructures are considered insufficient for such a large and ambitious country in terms of transnational and continental connectivity.
By opting for ACIX, the Democratic Republic of Congo is acquiring an exchange point that will become one of the most important on the continent. ACIX will facilitate the creation of an interconnection corridor across Equatorial Africa, connecting neighboring countries from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean, and create a better user experience for people in Congo as well as neighboring countries in significantly reducing latency and costs.
The installation of ACIX is part of the missions of the Agency for Digital Development and the sectoral vision of His Excellency the President of the Republic, Head of State, Félix Antoine Tshisekedi Tshilombo, who intends to Congolese digital technology a lever for integration, good governance, economic growth and social progress.
The official launch ceremony of ACIX was also chosen as the framework for the signing of a collaboration agreement between the NGO “Internet Pour Tous” and the Digital Development Agency. The objective is to allow thousands of schools in the DRC to be connected to the Internet free of charge as part of the program “CAP 2030 – A multimedia computer class connected in each school in the DRC”, which is part of as part of the DNA digital divide mission.
In sum, the Democratic Republic of Congo has taken an important step towards its ambition of transnational and continental connectivity. This progress represents a real development opportunity for the country, both economically and socially.