[Afpif] Minutes of AfPIF-PC Call #3

[Michuki Mwangi]

Dear PC Members,

Below are the minutes from the call this afternoon. Please feel free to add any omissions or correct any inaccuracies.

Date: 29th June 2017
Title: PC Call #3
Time: 14:00 - 15:00 UTC

Present
1.Thomas Volmer
2.Mathew Chigwende
3.Chris Grundermann
4.Frank Habicht
5.Kyle Spencer (Chair)
6.Mathieu Paonessa
7.Michuki Mwangi (secretariat)

Absent with apologies
1. Ghislain Nkeramugaba
2. Nishal Goburdan
3. Hisham Ibrahim

1.0 Discussion on Policy Makers day and African Union Commission (AUC) request for AfPIF

The meeting commenced with an update from the secretariat on the status of the Policy makers day. The African Regional Bureau Director at the Internet Society was able to get ISOC’s internal approval and budgetary support for 20,000 towards organizing the  Policy Makers day at AfPIF-2017. However, the budgetary support approved was 15,000 less than initially requested.

In a related matter, the secretariat informed the members that, the Internet Society had received an email request from the African Union Commission (AUC) to collocate regional coordination meetings alongside AfPIF.  The  meetings are AXIS Steering Committee and REC Coordination Meeting with each meeting requiring a morning or afternoon session to conduct its business. The AXIS project will sponsor the steering committee members who are also members of the REC Coordination meeting to attend AfPIF 2017 and both coordination meetings.
The African Union proposed as follows;
   Follow the AFPIF program the first day (22nd)
   They have their own meeting in the morning of the 23rd
   Follow the AFPIF program on the third day (24th)
   The AUC be included in the Formal opening and closing sessions of AfPIF

The secretariat intimated to the members that the proposal from the AUC was bringing additional Policy makers to AfPIF and this would resolve an issue of the number of potential attendees, that would have resulted from having an insufficient budget.

In the ensuing discussions, the issue of having policy makers and the AUC at AfPIF aroused previous concerns, with members reiterating that this approach exposed AfPIF to the risk of shifting from it’s core focus or could be interpreted as an endorsement of top down approach to peering and interconnection in the region, and send the wrong impression/message.

Further clarification was offered from the secretariat and in particular that the AUC had been to AfPIF-2012 in South Africa without causing any negative perception to the event overall. Other views expressed support to have the AUC participate like others, since it is an open meeting, and learn more from the event. In the end, there was consensus that;
Given the current role and objective of the AfPIF official opening and closing sessions, there are no major concern to having the AUC representative speak at these two sessions.
In due course, the PC needs to review and define the role and objective of the official opening and closing sessions
In due course, enable the PC to have the ability to review the presentations that are made during the official opening and closing sessions and ensure that they are aligned to peering and interconnection or the AfPIF agenda as a whole.
We should proceed with the plan to hold the policy makers day on the proposed day 1 (PC day)

1.1 Action Items
The secretariat will help convene a sub-program committee consisting of volunteering members from the PC and also a suitable policy makers, to help develop the agenda for the Policy makers day.
Share the information on the AfPIF agenda, including proposed policy makers day with the African Union and suggest that they consider having the coordination meetings on 21st August (Day 0)

2.0 Agenda and Presentation Submission

In discussion of the agenda, the members reviewed the proposed draft agenda outline (available here https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D5CvwRIFG5BP3YuHZIhiH0hRXwqwZ-CNXqEDTDDW1jc/edit#gid=416101091) and also observed that a number of the PC members had reviewed the presentations received on the submission system. The members were also informed that the deadline for submission had been extended as agreed.

There was consensus on the following;
Members needed to complete reviewing the submissions received at the earliest time possible
None of the proposals received on the submission system was of keynote level.
There submissions received were not sufficient to cover available sessions.

2.1 Action Items;
The PC needs to do extra outreach on getting more presentation submissions
The PC needs to find a impactful keynote presentation
Conduct an online email discussion to place the approved presentations on suitable slots on the agenda outline
Conduct an online email discussion about the policy makers and AUC participation.
Include the panel discussion topics from the Nairobi meeting on the agenda outline.

3.0 A.O.B

Next call on week of 10th July


Thanks and regards,

Michuki.
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