The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) President and CEO Paul Twomey, along with ICANN board member Mouhamet Diop of Senegal, discussed the growing involvement of Africa in the core Internet structures at the Highway Africa Conference held in Grahamstown, South Africa September 16-18, 2004.
ICANN also invited the African community to engage with ICANN in identifying appropriate modes and locations on the African continent for an ICANN regional presence and how a local presence can assist with operational issues.
"ICANN has been working to foster greater global participation, and a presence in Africa will support improved communications and understanding of local issues,” stated Twomey.
"A regional presence also will allow ICANN to hand off operational issues across time zones to expedite processing and responsiveness. We are seeking input from the African community on the key form and functions most important to Africa,” he added.
Responsibilities of an African regional presence will include:
- Supporting and engaging local community members, such as At-Large organizations, members of the technical community and Country Code Top Level Domains, on specific issues of concern to the region;
- Interacting with regional governments to identify outreach efforts;
- Providing support for and the establishment of the African Regional Internet Registry, AfricNIC, currently in the application process;
- Facilitating local input and liaison for ICANN's Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees that form an essential component of ICANN's bottom-up, consensus-based policy development process. ICANN will seek participation of local entities in establishing an Africa presence, including potentially the donation of infrastructure, office space, and staffing.
"With increased interaction between civil society, business, and governments across the African continent, we are seeking to ensure Africa's information and communications technology will be aligned with and integral to Internet growth and development," said Twomey.
AfriNIC formally filed its application in early September 2004 to start the review and technical processes for it to become a Regional Internet Registry.
Earlier this month, ICANN certified the Internet Society Congo (ISOC) as a new member of ICANN's At-Large Advisory Committee. ISOC is a non-profit association with approximately 200 members; it provides information on Internet-related issues to users in the Democratic Republic of Congo and promotes the Internet in the Congo.
Moving to establish an African regional presence is part of ICANN's commitment to preserving the operational stability and security of the Internet, promoting choice and competition for registrants, and achieving broad representation of the global Internet community.
Other key speakers at this year’s Highway Africa Conference were Mr. Adama Samassekou, president of the WSIS Preparatory Committee Meeting, Professor Cees Hamelink, a leading academic on human rights and new media and a host of key business and civil society actors.
Other topics discussed were: a post-Geneva WSIS assessment, the role of the African media in a globalized world, the Internet and civil liberties, African development initiatives and ICTs, and African national and regional ICT policies.
Highway Africa 2004 is the world's largest annual gathering of African journalists and the only event of its kind in Africa. The conference is organized by the Rhodes University Department of Journalism and Media Studies and co-hosted by the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC), with the SA Department of Communications contributing as a partner institution.