The West Africa Peering Forum (WAPF) 2026 will take place in Cotonou on June 17 and 18, bringing together internet infrastructure experts, regulators, and technology companies from across the region.
IXP Nigeria (IXPN) announced the event while calling for participation from internet service providers, content companies, internet exchange operators, engineers, and policymakers across West Africa.
Organised annually by the Internet Society, the forum focuses on improving internet connectivity and interconnection across the region.
This year’s programme will cover topics including internet exchange point development, cross-border interconnection, cloud services, content localisation, data centre growth, internet resilience, routing security, and strategies to make internet access more affordable.
The event’s Call for Papers is now open through the AFPIF Indico portal, allowing industry experts and organisations to submit presentations and technical discussions for the conference.
The programme committee for the 2026 edition is co-chaired by Behou Brice Abba, Esther King, and Obinna Adumike.
Several organisations have already confirmed support for the event. Flexoptix will serve as the lanyard sponsor, while LINX joins as a bronze sponsor. Renumesh is also supporting the forum.
Registration for WAPF 2026 is free through the Internet Society’s official event page, although organisers say attendance capacity will be limited.
IXPN also said it is arranging logistics support for Nigerian operators travelling to Benin for the event.
WAPF has become one of the region’s leading internet infrastructure gatherings over the past decade, helping drive discussions around peering, local traffic exchange, content caching, and internet resilience in West Africa.
The 2026 edition comes at a time when new submarine cable projects and expanding data centre investments are changing how internet traffic is managed and delivered across West Africa, creating fresh opportunities for local interconnection and digital growth.
