Held from 9-21 June, 2013 in Lusaka, Zambia, the 2nd African Internet Summit brought together more than 400 participants from all sectors of African ICT (academia, public, private). The first week consisted of training sessions, with overall sessions held from 17-21 June. A full 31 African countries were represented across the trainings, meetings, roundtables, and sessions. A panel of international expert guided discussion of topics like mobile networking, apps, cyber security, internet governance, ICT4D research, and African ICT success stories.

Featured speakers included key stakeholders in the international networking, domain, and education spaces. Over the five days of panels, hundreds of points were shared on social media. Much conversation was spent on the subject of stakeholders working together. The need for internet governance and inclusion for all were also common themes. IPv6, the effects of social media, using TV white spaces, and advancing online security were also on the docket.

A sampling of notes that stand out is below. All were found using the #AIS13 hashtag.

• possibility for teaching technical courses in African languages
• volunteerism has its limits
• international domain names are available in Arabic and Amharic (but Twitter and Facebook can handle linking here)
• internet users need simplified internet education
• roughly 100km of new fibre network enters service each day in Africa
• developing internet in Africa depends on bold moves to build sustainable human technical and governance networks
• government, regulatory authorities, and all operators need to be on board
• media and bloggers are important for disseminating information to the public
• NGOs should be involved in the national level of engagement in issues of IG
• people need opportunities to create local content – enabling conditions are needed from higher ups
• Sudan is limited by US trade embargo (can’t access certain American apps/hardware)
• have a program where “eAdults” mentor “eChildren”
• decision makers need to understand the role of ICT in education
• quality of  service, cyber security, price regulation, ICT literacy are challenges
• online payments are not common in Uganda, but mobile money is
• Africa is the 2nd largest mobile market
• traffic from Lusaka to Kenya takes 76ms on Liquid Telecom network
• cyber crime in Cote d’Ivoire can be reported to a cyber crime control platform
• the boom in mobile technology is because it does not ask you to learn a new language

Also, for the best list we’ve seen on the Internet organizations supporting Africa (the AF*) head over to the AIS Supporting Organizations page.

The way is forward and we are going that way together, leaving no one behind” – Dr. Nii Quaynor

AIS 2013 was organized by AFRINIC and AfNOG, with local hosts ZICTA and ISPA Zambia.