Apologies for the delay in sending you this monthly communication that I generally send out in the second week of every month.
 
In the past few weeks, we have witnessed a number of changes in the way we operate given the lockdowns in many parts of the world, including Africa. I am sure we will come out of this crisis stronger and better as we reflect on how to improve and better our communities.

We have not been spared the shocks either. Like many organisations around the world, we have adopted the “Work from Home” culture as part of dealing with the current situation. Accordingly, although we have not failed to comply with our Service Level Commitment (SLC) in general, we seek your indulgence and understanding in case we do.

Some of the key things that have happened since my last communication are:

·         AIRRS:
We launched the Africa Internet Registry and Routing Statistics (AIRRS) portal (https://airrs.afrinic.net). The portal provides easy access to data selected from many sources such as WHOIS, RIPE RIS, RIPE Atlas, and more. AIRRS is the result of an inter-RIR collaboration with the RIPE NCC.

·         RRDP:
AFRINIC now supports the RPKI Repository Delta Protocol (RFC 8182). RRDP is an alternative repository access protocol to the existing RSYNC repository.

·         IRR integration in MyAFRINIC:
Members can now view, create, edit or delete their route(6) and as-set objects and manage their routing attributes in the aut-num objects - within the MyAFRINIC portal. Users can access the IRR interface by logging into MyAFRINIC: https://my.afrinic.net/resources/irr/

·         Webinar:
Besides normal training sessions, our IP Academy organised an interesting webinar on Preparing Critical Internet Infrastructure for Black Swan Events (Preparing Critical Internet Infrastructure for Black Swan Events).

·         AIS’20
We are still observing developments globally and in DRC where the Africa Internet Summit 2020 was meant to take place. We will keep apprising you of the situation.


Dear Colleagues,

This COVID-19 situation requires solidarity and effective collaboration among multiples stakeholders for us to sustainably win the battle. Connectivity is a key component in our ability to adequately respond to the crisis. Even though there has been good progress on the continent thus far, there is still a lot to do and huge potential to tap into.

A strong and united AFRINIC community can contribute a lot to the global effort. In addition to the ongoing initiatives around building a faster and more secure Internet, we are open to suggestions on where and how our community can positively contribute to African and global developments and initiatives.

I once again wish you well and hope you all stay safe as we confront and navigate the current storm.