establishingcctldsinafrica—overcomingthechallenges.pptVIP

Establishing ccTLDs in Africa - Overcoming The Challenges Michuki Mwangi President AfTLD AfTLD Meeting 7th, April 2008 Johannesburg, South-Africa Definition The Internet is part of a Country’s Virtual Real Estate The ccTLD is one of the virtual real estate’s inherent natural resource The resource should be developed for the benefit of all As with any natural resource, governance issues are paramount Therefore the right approach is fundamental in overcoming challenges (Cont’d….) Country Code Top Level Domain (ccTLD) There are 249 ccTLDs in the world There are 58 million domain names under ccTLDs compared to 95 Million gTLDs Representing a 33% growth in 2007 Trend portrays the growth potential for upcoming ccTLDs .ZA is largest in Africa and probably still amongst the top 20 ccTLDs in the world Challenges Representation Neutrality The Policy bit The Technical bit The ICANN bit Representation Is a contentious issue Requires broad based consultations Identify the Local Internet Community (LIC) or the Key stakeholders Work out a mutually acceptable governance model Mostly successful through lobbying and consensus building amongst the LIC This yields a home grown/local solution Deducing the Stakeholders Government Private Sector (Service Providers) Academia Civil Society Legal fraternity Their Roles Government = Facilitator Often seen as neutral but not always trusted Out to represent the public interests A resource for support and funding Private Sector = implementers Have the technical skills and expertise Business centric - will ensure sustainability Represent the private sector interests A source of support and funding (Cont’d…) Academia = Ambassadors A good source for staffing/Internship programs Promoting awareness starts here for future growth Capacity building activities Perceived as neutral institutions Civil Society = critics mediators Policy developers middle ground between Govt. Private Sector Legal Fraternity = advisors The legal issues and they are