AFRICA – African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC), a Pan-African internet registry, has appointed Eddy Mabano Kayihura from Rwanda as its chief executive officer.
The 43-year-old Rwandan takes the seat that has been vacant for three months after the former CEO Alan Barrett resigned from the office.
He will start his new duties on November 4th in Ebene cybercity in the island nation of Mauritius where the organization is based.
According to a statement issued by the chairman of AFRINIC’s board of directors Christian Bope, Kayihura has a wealth of experience acquired over a period of more than 20 years.
Until his new job, Kayihura has been the Chief Technology Officer at Bank of Kigali, where he managed a team of 70 engineers and business specialists operating the Bank’s IT department and its digital offering.
Before then, he was the CEO of Broadband Systems Corporation (BCS), which is among the biggest distributors of internet in the country, that among other achievements was charged with the Fiber Optic connectivity in the country covering over 3000 kilometres in 30 districts and 11 border points.
Kayihura worked as a consultant on telecommunications, FinTech and IT infrastructure in Rwanda, as well as executive chairman of the Rwanda Internet Community and Technology Alliance (RICTA).
“Kayihura joins us at the time when AFRINIC is beefing up its operational capacity, and it is our view that he has the required experience and expertise to drive these changes as well as ensuring that the organisation continues to be a catalyst for both internet development and use in Africa,” Bope said.
“It is my great pleasure to welcome Mr. Kayihura to the AFRINIC family.”
According to Dr. Christian D. Bope, Chairman of AFRINIC Board of Directors, Kayihura comes on board when the institution is gearing up its operational capacity.
Kayihura holds an MBA in International Business from Oklahoma Christian University, a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology from the National University of Rwanda among other qualifications.
Kayihura was quoted by the local New Times newspaper that his appointment is “a vote of confidence” in Rwanda as a forerunner of technology in Africa.
Among AFRINIC’s responsibilities, Kayihura is to build on the existing infrastructure of the 15-year-old organisation to boost the new version of IPv6 – Internet Protocol that can host more addresses that the exhausted IPv4 – and spread further the connectivity coverage.
AFRINIC is a regional internet registry (RIR) for Africa.
There are five RIRs worldwide. The organisation distributes and manages internet number resources. It also sets policies and trains personnel in order to support Internet technology usage and development across the continent.
