Registry Africa, the registry operator and administrator of the .africa domain name, is this year celebrating 10 years in the domain name industry.
It has also renewed its registry operator agreement with the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) for a further 10 years.
ICANN is a non-profit partnership of people from across the world dedicated to keeping the internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the internet’s unique identifiers.
In a statement, Registry Africa says the launch of .africa in 2017 brought a name to businesses and individuals looking for a digital identifier that represents them and the continent.
At the launch, it notes, the former chairperson of the African Union Commission, Dr Nkosazana Zuma, gave a directive to all Africans to create awareness and celebrate the .africa domain.
According to the registry operator, big businesses and individuals have adopted the .africa identifier with enthusiasm. “We have seen names such as absa.africa, maxhosa.africa, nation.africa, adams.africa and a plethora of others being adopted, both fun and serious.”
It points out that the .africa domain name extension represents the vibrancy and diversity of the African continent. It is also a digital real estate for businesses, organisations and individuals to demonstrate their connection to this continent.
Registry Africa says the journey of .africa was influenced by the continental visionaries who lobbied for the name Africa to be included in the digital name space and to attract users across the globe.
This process saw interested parties across the length and breadth of the continent lobby for the name to get critical support from the continent's governments and the African Union to enable its successful application, it adds.
Registry Africa CEO Lucky Masilela says: “Today, as we celebrate this milestone, we look back at the journey which hasn’t been without its challenges and are filled with immense pride. Our contract being renewed is a sign of the responsible and trusted way in which we have delivered on our previous contracted mandate to manage this African top level domain name for Africans by Africans.
“The African digital space is full of opportunities, and as technology advances and internet penetration rates increase across the continent, so too the .africa domain name is poised to play an even more important role in driving digital transformation, economic growth and social development in Africa.”
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