2024-07 - Board Elections
The second African IXP Association Board of Directors took office on September 25, 2025 following the second Annual General Meeting of the association which took place on August 19, 2025 in Kinshasa, DR Congo.
Four candidates were nominated for three available seats. The first round of voting took place from August 5 to August 16 with 11 of 19 eligible IXPs participating. Two candidates were elected but there was a tie for third place which triggered a run-off vote.
The two winning candidates were:
- Edrich de Lange
- Nico Tshintu Bakajika
The candidates tied for third place were:
- Caglar Dabanoglu
- Portia Rabonda
The run-off vote took place from September 2 to September 7 with 13 of 19 eligible IXPs participating. However, this also resulted in a tie with one of the ballots having been submitted blank.
The board decided that the Board Chair (Kyle Spencer) should break the tie. The Board Chair decided to cast the tie breaking vote in favour of Portia Rabonda, reasoning that "the community judged Caglar and Portia equally, twice by way of successive tied votes, and I think they're both excellent choices, so it was not possible to make this decision based on merit. Accordingly, I think our need for diversity adds weight in Portia's favour. Caglar is also a friend, and I want to avoid the specter of conflict of interest which is a risk given the lack of clear determining factors."
Thus, the full elected board was as follows:
- Edrich de Lange (re-elected)
- Nico Tshintu Bakajika
- Portia Rabonda
Each was elected to a three year term. The official results from the Zeus voting system are attached for reference.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the outgoing board members for their invaluable support, leadership, and dedication to the AFIX community:
- Lawakilia Wilfried Drabo
- Caglar Dabanoglu
Their contributions have been instrumental in advancing our shared mission.
The election was conducted using the Zeus Electronic Voting system with support and oversight from members of the global Internet community including the Latin American and Caribbean Internet Exchange Association and the Internet Society who acted as election trustees.
