NiRA Honours Institutions, Individuals Supporting .NG Growth

Dr. Krishnan Ranganath, the regional executive for West Africa at Africa Data Centres (ADC)

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the registry for .ng Internet Domain Names and maintainers of the database of names registered in the .ng country code Top Level Domain, has again honoured private and public institutions, as well as individuals, promoting the brand.

The 2022 NiRA .ng Awards, the fifth in the series, was held in Lagos recently with twenty-two (22) private entities and four (4) public institutions, as well as six (6) individual recognized.

The winners of the 2022 .ng Awards in the various categories are as follows: .NG Company of the Year, GigaLayer Web Hosting & Domains; Best Local Hosting Company, Smart Web Nigeria Limited; Most Innovsative Service Provider Online, National Youth Service Corps (NYSC); Best Technology Hub Website/Portal, CoLab; Best Banking or Insurance Website/Portal, Fidelity Bank Plc ; Best AgriTech Company of the year, Groupfarma; Best e-Payment Website/Portal, ALAT by Wema Bank; Digital Innovation State Government, Akwa Ibom State; Best Tertiary Institution Website/Portal, Covenant University; Digital Innovation in Federal Government, Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office ; Best e-Commerce Website, Jumia Nigeria; Best Print Media Website/Portal, Guardian Nigeria; Best Primary/Secondary Website/Portal, Dr. William Kupiec Girls Academy; Best Online Media Website, BusinessDay; Startup Company of the Year, Mydot.NG Web Hosting Company; Best Electronic Media Website (Television), Benue TV; .NG Fintech Company of the Year, ALAT by Wema Bank; Best Electronic Media Website (Radio), Planet101.1FM.

Others are Best .NG ccTLD Registrar Platinum Category, WhoGoHost Limited; Best .NG ccTLD Registrar at Gold Category, Icecool Contracts Limited; Best .NG ccTLD registrar at Silver Category, Vistacool Technologies Limited; Best .NG ccTLD Registrar at Standard Category, Mcreal Online Networks Systems Limited; Best Supporting Media Partner, RaveTv; .NG Most Supporting Sponsor, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA); NiRA Special Award for Jury Members, Webguru.ng Limited and Hostnownow Limited, respectively.

Individuals who have distinguished themselves in the .NG domain name system were also honoured with Special Recognition awards.

They are; Dr. Isaac. Adeola. Odeyemi , Dr. Chris Nwannenna, Mr. Shehu Sikiru, Reverend Sunday Folayan and Mrs. Edith Udeagu, while Mrs. Sola Akinpelu of HerVest NG received the NiRA Presidential award for Women Development

In his speech at the event, Mr Muhammed Rudman, President of NiRA, said the Association roll out drums to celebrate the awardees for upholding the .NG brand, adding that “.ng Awards celebrate the achievements and innovation of Nigerian Internet initiatives.

Nigeria Internet Registration Association — Dr. Isaac Odeyemi, Pioneer Chairman NiRA BoT (2n l) alongside his wife giving his response after he received the President’s special recognition award

“The awards promote Nigerian businesses, individuals, charities, and public and private sector organisations which help to make the Internet a more secure, open, accessible, and rewarding experience for all by using .ng domains for their online presence.

“From 6^th March 2022 to 10^th April 2022, the General Public was encouraged to nominate and vote for worthy companies who are using the .ng domain name for their businesses and have promoted the .ng brand.

“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all; the General Public, NiRA members, NiRA stakeholders, members of the press, NiRA Accredited Registrars, nominees, and winners for their participation throughout the awards process”, he said.