AIS 2027 Call for Hosting

The call

The African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) and the African Network Operators Group (AfNOG) are looking to partner with institutions or organisations that will be the Country Host for the next event, Africa Internet Summit-27, to be held tentatively in June 2027.

This document sets out what a Country Host needs to provide for a successful event. Read it thoroughly, then email your proposal to secretariat@internetsummitafrica.org and secretariat@afnog.org with CFP-AIS-27 as the subject line.

About the Summit

The AIS is the pinnacle event combining training, conference and networking for the Internet industry. The annual Summit attracts internationally renowned speakers to share the latest innovations in Internet Protocol (IP) technology, experiences and emerging issues from the industry. AIS is also a prime international arena for advertising Information and Communication Technology (ICT) services and products.

The AIS group (the Af* organisations)

AfNOG

African Network Operators Group: a forum for cooperation and the exchange of technical information between operators of Internet-connected networks in Africa, coordinating network service providers to keep service stable for end users.

AFRINIC

African Network Information Centre: the African Internet Registry responsible for managing Internet number resources in its service region.

AfTLD

The African Top Level Domain Organisation: a non-profit coordinating, formulating, developing and presenting a unified approach to issues related to the Domain Name System.

AfREN

The African Research and Education Networking, a unit of the Association of African Universities (AAU), set up to promote national and regional research and education networks in Africa.

AfPIF

The African Peering and Interconnection Forum: an ISOC initiative on interconnection, peering and traffic exchange opportunities and challenges, giving participants global and regional insights to help grow Internet infrastructure and services in Africa.

ICANN Africa

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers coordinates the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) functions, key technical services critical to the operation of the Domain Name System (DNS).

AfricaCERT

The Africa Computer Emergency Response Team: trusted computer incident response teams that cooperate to handle security incidents and promote incident prevention programmes.

ISOC Africa

The Internet Society, present in Africa through its African chapters. Formed in January 1992, ISOC works on policy, governance, technology and development.

From AfNOG & AFRINIC meetings to the AIS

AfNOG and AFRINIC’s joint meetings were rebranded as the Africa Internet Summit (AIS) in Serekunda, The Gambia, on 15 May 2012. The Summit is an annual showcase for development and change in the African IP technical community. It keeps the original format but is more business- and development-oriented, to better meet the needs of operators and stakeholders in Africa. The annual Summit attracts internationally renowned speakers to share experience and knowledge on IP address management and other technological developments.

What the programme includes

• One-day boot camp
• Week-long set of workshops
• Three days of technical tutorials
• One day for the AfNOG meeting
• One-day ICANN meeting
• One-day Internet Society Day (ISOC Day)
• Half day for the AfTLD AGM
• Half-day AFRINIC BoF and working group (AFGWG)
• One-day AfREN meeting
• One-day Smart Africa session
• Two to three days of AFRINIC Public Policy Meetings

All of these meetings except the boot camp and workshops run in parallel. The venue must also be available during the week before the workshop (the set-up week), when instructors lay cables, install equipment and prepare.

1. About the organisers

AFRINIC is the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for Africa, responsible for the distribution and management of Internet number resources (IPv4, IPv6 and ASNs) throughout the African and Indian Ocean regions. It leads on capacity building and IP infrastructure development, and facilitates the community-driven policy development process that governs how Internet number resources are managed and distributed in the region. More at www.afrinic.net.

AfNOG is a forum for the exchange of technical information, promoting discussion of implementation issues that need community cooperation, so that network service providers coordinate to keep service stable for end users. More at www.afnog.org.

2. About AFRINIC meetings

AFRINIC holds two public policy meetings every year in different locations across its service region. The first is held during the AIS, from the last week of May through the first week of June, organised with AfNOG and the other African Internet organisations known as the Af* (“Af Stars”). The second, held in November, is a stand-alone event.

AFRINIC meetings bring Internet individuals and organisations together to discuss the policies governing Internet number resource distribution in the African region, share technical knowledge and attend workshops and tutorials. They are open to all and free to attend. The stand-alone meeting lasts five days of workshops, training and conference plenaries, usually Monday to Friday. Around 200–300 delegates attend the AIS conferences.

2.1 AfNOG Workshop on Network Technology

Advanced training for people developing and enhancing an Internet-connected network with regional and international connectivity. The audience is senior and mid-level technical staff of commercial ISPs, academic, government and NGO networks. The workshop builds on AfNOG workshops held every year since 2000 in twenty-three African countries, with hands-on training delivered by an international team with many years of experience running large networks and teaching network operations.

The workshop runs six to eight parallel tracks, in English and French, over five days, followed by the tutorials and the conference.

Conference

The conference part of the AIS usually runs Monday to Friday, with sessions of interest to the Internet community such as:

• Short presentations on Internet technical and business topics
• Birds of a Feather (BoF) meetings: informal gatherings to exchange information and discuss new ideas
• Open policy discussions

Side events

Evening social activities take place during the meeting, such as a welcome dinner, welcome cocktail, gala dinner and other dinners (subject to available funds). Previous AIS workshops and meetings are listed on Past Meetings.

Why host the Africa Internet Summit

Country Hosts gain wide exposure to a local, regional and global technical audience, meet customers, prospects and partners, build a network of stakeholders and deliver key messages to a target audience. Your organisation is seen to support the development of Africa’s Internet: the perfect event to showcase it and promote your business. Local Hosts receive:

• A welcome speech during the Opening Ceremony
• A press conference together with the AIS team
• Name and logo in the local host list on the meeting website
• Acknowledgement on AFRINIC and AfNOG mailing lists, reaching thousands of relevant people
• Name and logo displayed in the conference hall
• Name and logo shown on screen in the conference hall during coffee breaks
• A dedicated space to promote your products and services
• Logo printed on meeting banners
• Places for your engineers on training courses on IPv6, DNSSEC, INRM and more
• Complimentary invitations to the Gala Dinner (number to be determined)

What the host provides

Financial support

The meeting charges no or very low fees, covering only part of the conference meals, so it depends largely on sponsors and the Country Host to cover its total cost.

The Country Host is expected to contribute up to $100,000 and to help raise local sponsorship to cover the cost of the event. Financial responsibilities are negotiated case by case during and after the AIS team’s selection of the successful bid.

General support

• Human resources throughout preparation and during the meeting, including set-up and registration desk administration.
• A named meeting coordinator for exchanges, contact and administrative support. The AIS Secretariat manages resources, but local event coordination is greatly appreciated.
• Staff fluent in both English and French at the registration desk and elsewhere as required.

Onsite assistance

• One French/English bilingual person for secretariat assistance.
• Technical staff to assist during the event (the call reads “at least three (2)”). They may run the local technical helpdesk for delegates with technical problems.
• At least three people at all times to help with the registration desk, meeting room set-up, interaction with hotel staff, liaison with local suppliers as needed, and general day-to-day secretariat duties.

Sponsors

• Help AFRINIC and AfNOG find sponsors for meeting rooms, the conference package, Internet connectivity, translation, audio and streaming services, and social events. The AIS team provides a sponsorship brochure for approaching local sponsors.
• Propose two connectivity sponsors.

Publicity and press

Provide or support the AIS communications team with local publicity and media coverage before, during and after the event, and help coordinate:

• Press conferences
• Press release distribution
• Media kit distribution
• Advertising in local newspapers and magazines
• Banners and posters
• Suppliers for T-shirts, caps, pens, bags and other giveaways as requested

Details of any giveaways the Local Host plans to produce must reach the AIS team at least one month before the meeting starts.

Travel

• Information on travel regulations for the host country: health restrictions, recommended vaccines and other health requirements.
• Information on local visa requirements, which may mean facilitating group visas or visas on arrival, providing invitation letters and helping with general immigration issues.
• Welcoming delegates at the airport (airport desk) and, if feasible, a round-trip shuttle between the airport and the meeting venue for all delegates.

Import and re-export

• When the meeting is outside Mauritius and Ghana (the organisers’ countries of origin), the AIS team ships technical equipment, stationery, promotional gifts and printed materials ahead, and may re-export equipment afterwards. The host provides full assistance with import and re-export procedures and secure storage for shipped boxes.
• Seek tax exemption for all AIS materials, both freighted and brought by staff as excess luggage.
• Facilitate import of sponsors’ marketing materials for conference bags and the exhibition area.

Transport

• Between the meeting venue and the pre-selected delegate hotels.
• To and from the airport for VIP delegates.
• To all side events (dinners, cocktails, social events) for all delegates.
• For AIS staff running off-site errands during the event.

Suppliers

Local help to identify and work with the providers the event needs:

• Translation services
• Video streaming
• Technical equipment
• Entertainment for social events
• Official video and photography for the conference and social events

Side events and other assistance

• Help the AIS team organise an attractive, high-quality welcome dinner, welcome cocktail and gala dinner: a relaxing setting for delegates to unwind and network. The host or a local sponsor is welcome to sponsor these.
• Help with all other meeting activities, such as a preliminary site visit by AIS staff and sourcing promotional items locally.

Venue and facilities

Meeting venue

Propose three potential venues; the AIS team makes the final choice.

• A 4- to 5-star hotel with modern conference facilities, or a fully equipped conference centre with a hotel attached or within walking distance, able to accommodate at least 200 people.
• Close to an international airport: delegates arrive from all over the world.
• Other hotels available near the venue.
• Several rooms with different set-ups and capacities throughout the week.
• Accommodation, workshop classrooms and the conference plenary room at the same location is strongly preferred.
• Internet connectivity in hotel rooms for AIS delegates.

Space requirements

See the meeting agenda for how these rooms are used.

Office

One large, secure office for the AIS Secretariat and staff, with at least two keys, available from the start of set-up week to the end of the event.

Registration area

An open area big enough for a long table and a queue of registrants.

NOC

One smaller room for the network operations centre, available from the start of set-up week to the end of the event.

Workshop and classrooms

Each workshop track has about 20 students and 4 instructors. The plan for the 2027–2030 workshops is a minimum of three tracks in English and French, so at least three classrooms. The Local Host is encouraged to sponsor as many qualified local participants as possible to attend the training. Each classroom needs:

• Floor space of about 8 × 12 m (100 m² minimum; larger rooms are fine).
• Multiple electrical outlets around the room, preferably on separate circuits.
• Overhead lighting, preferably fluorescent tubes.
• Stable power, with a backup generator or UPS.
• Air conditioning: essential given the equipment and number of people.
• 15 tables for equipment, students and instructors, each about 2 m long and 0.8 m wide (room for two people).
• Enough chairs for all students, instructors and a few others.

Network and Internet access

• The NOC, office and classrooms are connected in one computer network, ideally including the conference room. Existing cabling can be used; otherwise AfNOG installs temporary cables during set-up week and removes them afterwards.
• Internet access is crucial: wired Ethernet and a public wireless network.
• At least two different connectivity providers (the Connectivity Sponsors), each offering at least 10 Mbps.

Catering

A buffet lunch and morning and afternoon coffee breaks (these can be sponsored). The hotel provides menus for lunch, breaks and any dinners in advance for agreement.

Lunch and breaks must be ready 15 minutes early. Times may change with the programme.

Accommodation

Most attendees stay at the venue or a nearby hotel, so affordable options close to the venue are crucial. The Country Host provides a list of alternative accommodation, each official meeting hotel is expected to offer group discounts for block bookings, and the host helps negotiate where needed.

Travel security

Participant safety is considered when choosing the location. Include a security assessment of the intended city or area in your proposal.

Venue and supplier contracts

Contracts with the hotel or conference venue and suppliers must be signed well in advance, in some cases between the supplier and the Country Host on behalf of AFRINIC and AfNOG, with every party holding a signed copy. Negotiate them together with the AFRINIC and AfNOG meeting coordinators.

Take every requirement in this call into account in your proposal.

After selection: memorandum of understanding

After the AIS Steering Committee assesses the hosting proposals, AIS and the Local Host sign an MoU setting out the roles and responsibilities of each party.