The Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Mr. Muhammed Rudman last weekend, at the 12th annual Beacon of Information and Communications Technology (BoICT) Awards received a ‘Life Time Achievement Award in Internet Local Content Advocacy’.
The organizer of the Awards, Communication Week Media Limited, publishers of Nigeria CommunicationsWeek, said Mr. Rudman won the award for championing the advocacy for the localisation of Internet traffic in Nigeria, where the country currently boasts of exchanging almost 70 percent of Internet traffic locally.
“We are happy to announce the ‘Life Time Achievement Award in Internet Local Content Advocacy’ to Mr. Muhammed Rudman,” the organizer said while presenting the award plaque to him at the event well attended by various stakeholders in the Nigerian Information and Communications Technology landscape at Eko Hotels and Suites.
While the organizers hope that the award will motivate Rudman to do more for the industry, they also stated that the award is in recognition of Rudman’s perseverance in local content advocacy, innovations, contributions and commitments to the growth of the ICT industry and ultimately, the Nigerian economy.
Responding, a delighted Rudman said he is pleased that Nigeria is gradually yielding to the call and advocacy to host Internet data in-country rather than in foreign countries. He emphasized that when businesses host within the country, they benefit from faster access to their content by end-users, payment in local currency for the hosting service, a reduction in Internet bandwidth costs, and, ultimately, help grow Nigeria’s digital economy.
“For me, this award demonstrates that our advocacy for local Internet traffic is yielding results. This award is dedicated to all Nigerian organizations that host their Internet data locally, as well as service providers who exchange local traffic via IXPN,” he told Journalist on the side-line of the event after receiving the award.
Muhammed Rudman is the founding CEO of the Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), the country’s first and only neutral IXP. A seasoned IT professional with more than 20 years of experience in network design, implementation, optimization, and management. He is a member of various professional organizations both inside and outside the country and has made significant contributions to the development of Nigeria’s ICT sector. He is also the Executive President of (NIRA) Nigerian Internet Registration Association the .ng ccTLD administrators and the Chairman of the Nigeria IPv6 Council.