September 24-28 marked the second annual ‘Semaine de l’internet‘ (Internet Week) in Benin. Sponsors included Projet e-Bénin, Benin Telecoms, La Poste du Bénin, and JIA-Bénin.

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The event came as part of the government’s long-term strategic vision, known as Benin 2025. According to the Beninese Minister of Communication, the goal of the events is to promote the exchange of information between Internet stakeholders and to improve the availability, quality, and conditions of access to the Internet. Benin is aware, that despite having international fibre-optic access, Internet access is still limited. The thought is that events like this will develop not only valuable training, but also a more robust suite of Beninese online services.

Themes included:

• Women and ICT (rural, sociological effects, youth, economic)
• Network security
• E-government (implementation, best practices)
• Internet governance (access, local content, regulation, cybercrime)
• Domain names (new business opportunities)
• E-Business (implementation, best practices)
• Telemedicine
• DNS & IXP (managing .bj, IPv6, setting up an IXP)

Be sure to view dozens of photos from the week-long even on the Semaine de l’Internet Bénin 2012 Facebook page. Also of interest is a 74-page report on the feasibility of an Internet Exchange Point (BENIX).