Companies to Address Hosting Shortages and Promote Digital Sovereignty

Emma Okonji

The Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN) and TeleAfrica Communications Limited announced plans to strengthen West Africa’s internet infrastructure during the Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Peering Workshop 2026 held in Abuja last week.

The two‑day event combined technical and strategic sessions, bringing together industry leaders, network engineers and telecommunications experts to discuss ways to expand infrastructure, remove systemic bottlenecks and accelerate Nigeria’s digital transformation.

Workshop participants noted that, despite being one of Africa’s largest economies, Nigeria suffers from a significant hosting deficit. Current data shows that only 22 per cent of the top 1,000 most‑accessed websites are hosted locally, compared with a continental average of 34 per cent.

In his opening remarks, IXPN Managing Director Muhammed Rudman highlighted the urgent need to close Nigeria’s Autonomous System Number (ASN) density gap. He pointed out that Nigeria currently has just one ASN per million people, whereas South Africa has 13 and Brazil has 43.

Rudman explained IXPN’s role as a catalyst for the country’s tech ecosystem: “By keeping local traffic local, IXPN is building the foundation for a faster, more connected, and sovereign Nigeria.”

TeleAfrica Communications Chairman Ikechukwu Nnamani demonstrated how robust interconnectivity and secure switching centres support this vision. He noted that the company’s ABV1 data centre in Abuja, which routes telecom traffic between northern and southern Nigeria, will help distribute digital services evenly across the nation.

Nnamani emphasized that this model directly addresses a major pain point in the local telecom sector.