It’s approximately 2 months to go before the grand application
process for the new gTLDs begins, ICANN the international internet body
made a revolutionary announcement in June that is going to change the
entire internet namespace. With the current 21 gTLDs, the world is
bracing for a surge of close to 500 new applications. Among the domains
of my interest is the .Africa gTLD.
Whereas the graph of other continents mostly those of the developed
have been on the plateau for a while now having reached peak a few
years ago, Africa is experiencing its rise. The internet experience
graph is rising higher by the minute. This has attracted the interest
of giant internet firms such as Google and Facebook. Google, for
instance, has offices established to drive its mammoth business across
the African region especially the sub-Saharan. Facebook among others
have satelite staff managing the affairs under the emerging markets in
Africa and Middle East.
I wonder though how sparse or closely clustered the African digital
Map is on the Google or Facebook walls. I would like to see how updates
on the map grow and if it is constant or spiky and unpredictable.
Someone called Africa the Dark Continent riddled with epidemics, War,
poverty and generally insurmountable number of maladies. On the
contrary though, I would like to view Africa as not only an emerging
market but a potential force to reckon with; an equal player among many
whose quest for a digital future must be considered with
indiscriminate attitude and altitude.
Back to the .Africa issue, this project has particularly been a hot
issue — almost too hot a brick to handle with bare hands — and with
several organizations setting up to apply come 2012. Question is however
who really is the best messenger to drive this matter?
Dotconnectafrica has been on the forefront of this quest, putting
forward not only .africa but daring to include .Afriqya and .Afrique
the Arabic and French versions respectively.
During the ICANN meeting recently in Senegal Dakar, DCA President Ms.
Sophia Bekele outlined the various issues that must be carefully
looked into to ensure that the process is not only smooth but
successful. Africa must not be allowed to fail in this watershed
moment, it must come through unscathed. It would be interesting to see
the African gTLD championed and successfully setup.
The resulting registry must not only revert back the resources from
the domain but also ensure that Africa’s content is well managed and
availed for and by African continent since it will not only be a unique
moment but a chance to prove to the entire wide world that Africa can
do it right!
Written by Gideon Rop
