(Ecofin Agency) - Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) play a crucial role by keeping internet traffic local, reducing latency, speeding up access, and lowering user costs. Previously, much of Africa's internet traffic traveled across continents, leading to slower speeds and higher costs compared to other regions like Europe.

NAPAfrica, Africa’s premier Internet Exchange Point (IXP), has surpassed 4.5Tbps in traffic, marking a significant achievement in Africa’s digital connectivity. The milestone, announced on November 11, reflects the growing adoption of digital services, cloud solutions, and content delivery across the continent.

Andrew Owens, Interconnection and Peering Lead at Teraco attributes NAPAfrica’s ongoing growth to Africa’s vibrant internet community and rising demand for data-intensive services. "Higher traffic levels between cloud providers, enterprises, and end users highlight how essential peering is in accelerating digital transformation across the continent. Our mission is to equip our clients with a seamless, reliable infrastructure to serve their communities effectively across Africa,” says Owens.

The rise of Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) has been transformative for Africa’s internet infrastructure. According to the African IXP Association, there are currently 56 active IXPs located in 48 cities in 36 countries in Africa. By November 2024, Africa had 1,866 IXP participants—still the lowest worldwide compared to Europe’s 16,119 participants, per the IXP Database. NAPAfrica's Johannesburg IX alone accounts for 31.4% of Africa’s total IXP participants, maintaining its position as the continent’s largest and most influential exchange point.

Based in carrier-neutral colocation provider Teraco’s data centers across Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg, NAPAfrica has expanded by over 40 peers in the past year alone. The IXP enables streamlined interconnections between local and international networks, serving as the main platform for internet operators throughout Africa.

To improve user experiences, NAPAfrica now hosts Netflix Open Connect cache servers in Cape Town and Durban. By caching content closer to end-users, this initiative ensures faster load times and enhances local content delivery, making the exchange more attractive to new members.

As global cloud providers and enterprises expand in Africa, NAPAfrica’s infrastructure supports these ambitions. With its strong, partnership-driven model, NAPAfrica stands as the backbone of Africa’s digital future, empowering organizations to deliver scalable, reliable internet services across the continent.

Hikmatu Bilali