The study’s goals are to highlight the strengths and opportunities for Africa’s DNS industry, and establish a Trial Observatory for ongoing monitoring of its status and growth.

BREAKING: Nigeria Domain Names [.NG] Registration Surpass 225,000

Techeconomy brings to you key highlights of the report as shared by Coalition for Digital Africa at ICANN80 in Kigali, Rwanda.

1. DNS Growth in Africa

The projected average annual overall growth in the number of domain names across the continent is 12.4%, suggesting significant opportunities for local providers in individual country.

2. Extensive Infrastructure Growth

Over 1.1 million kilometres of terrestrial and submarine fiber cables interconnect the continent, enhancing cross-border communications and internet access.

3. Digital Divide Challenges

Despite infrastructure growth, high Internet access costs continue to limit widespread usage, with the average African spending about 4% of their monthly income on 1GB of data – twice the global affordability target.

4. Domain Name Registration

As of November 2023, there are over 4.33 million domains registered under the African country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) with an additional 1.4 million generic top level domain registrations from African entities.

5. Local Hosting and Content Disparities

A significant concentration of web content and domain hosting remains within only a few countries, underscoring the need for more localized Internet service.

Excerpts:

Nigeria

According to the study, Nigeria moved up to 2nd place and is now two points ahead of Kenya. As with South Africa and Kenya, Nigeria has multiple undersea cables.

The ccTLD is well run, there are now six IXPs and multiple Data Centres. Nigeria’s biggest advantage is its huge population and large economy.

It is, however, heavily reliant on oil revenue, which has taken a battering. Recently its dependence on oil almost crippled the economy in 2020, as the pandemic highlighted the losses to the Federal government’s revenue.

Coming in just after Kenya on the number of ccTLD domains but ahead on gTLD domains, Nigeria also has a high score from its six IXPs.

Despite having good Data Centres, 98% of the websites identified were hosted overseas.

In fact, of the top 6 web hosting companies, only one has a .NG domain name, and all of them host their own websites in the USA or in South Africa.

The latter may be a function of Nigeria’s large population size, or perhaps is driven by avoiding the stigma of the .NG domain and its association with “419” scams.

Google indexes a total of 44.3 million web pages under the .NG domain, significantly up from 16 million

The Nigerian economy has recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic and has gradually seen an increase in nonoil revenue especially from the ICT sector, which contributed almost 16% in 2022.

Nigeria has the highest number of Internet users on the continent.

Meanwhile, the outcomes will help inform the Coalition for Digital Africa of future growth opportunities and development, both locally and regionally, in line with the Coalition’s guiding principles.

NiRA the registry for .ng Internet Domain Names and maintains the database of names registered in the .ng country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).

A team led by Mr. Adesola Akinsanya, the President of NiRA is currently attending Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Policy Forum, ICANN80, in Kigali, Rwanda.

In her presentation at the Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO) session, Mrs. Busayo Balogun, the Head of Corporate Services at NiRA said the Association had launched a dashboard for real time updates on .ng domain name registrations.

She said that the .ng domain name has continued to garner popularity in usage for websites and email addresses.

According to her, the dashboard shows the .ng domains have increased to 225,533 from 222,820 reported earlier in the year.

She told the audience that through its 3R – Registry, Registrar, Registrant – model of operation, NiRA contracts more than 100 registrars to provide registration services to the public.

“An end user selects a registrar to provide the registration service, and that registrar registers the domain chosen by the user. NiRA does not register user, directly. This model has really helped us to maintain decorum.

Earlier, Mr. Akinsanya reiterated NiRA’s commitment to driving .ng domain adoption and advancing Nigeria’s digital landscape.

“This growing trend underscores the domain’s significance and its role in establishing a strong digital identity for businesses and individuals alike.

“Additionally, we are currently conducting the .ng brand survey [https://form.jotform.com/niraworks/ng-brand-survey-2024] to gauge the awareness and adoption levels of the .ng domain among internet users in Nigeria.

“I encourage everyone to participate in this survey and share their valuable insights”, he said.

NiRA also received a rousing applause from participants at the ICANN80 as the ccNSO session lead, Joel Karubiu, former chief executive officer, Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC), said, “I see a lot of passion from the Nigerian team here”.

This was disclosed in the recent Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN’s)  publication of the 2023 Africa Domain Name Industry Study.

According to the report, as of November 2023, there were additional 1.4 million generic top-level domain registrations from African entities.

This report, commissioned by ICANN and conducted by PowerSoft Africa, in collaboration with the Coalition for Digital Africa, provides a comprehensive analysis of the Domain Name System (DNS) landscape across the continent.

It marks significant advancements since the initial 2016 study and aims to inform future growth and development in the region.

The study explores the rapid growth and evolution of the DNS sector in Africa, providing a crucial snapshot of infrastructure development, digital divide issues, and domain name registration growth.

As of November 2023, the continent has seen a significant increase to over 4.33 million domains registered under African country code top-level domains, with an additional 1.4 million generic top-level domain registrations from African entities.

Key findings highlight major infrastructure advancements, with more than 1.1 million kilometers of terrestrial and submarine fiber cables now spanning the continent, enhancing cross-border communication and Internet access.

However, despite these strides, high Internet access costs continue to pose a significant barrier, with the average African spending about 4 percent of their monthly income on just 1 GB of data – twice the global affordability target.

The study also introduces a Trial Observatory to continuously monitor the status and growth of the DNS industry in Africa.

This tool is designed to gather comprehensive data on DNS registrations and infrastructure development.

It aims to provide evidence-based insights that help inform policy decisions, enhance stakeholder collaboration across governments, businesses, and civil society, and develop strategies for sustainable sector growth.

ICANN, through various initiatives under the Coalition for Digital Africa, continues to support the enhancement of the digital landscape in Africa.

The study’s outcomes are aimed at fostering an environment that supports digital inclusivity and robust growth of the DNS industry.

The recommendations focus on strengthening regional Internet infrastructure, enhancing Internet service demand through the protection of online rights, simplifying the domain registration and payment processes, and promoting local content in African languages.

Techeconomy can report that all stakeholders, including policymakers, industry leaders, civil society, and digital innovators, have been invited by ICANN to engage with the findings of this comprehensive study to further drive digital advancement across the continent.

This research not only offers a detailed look at the current state but also serves as a call to action to leverage opportunities, highlight the region’s digital growth potential, and address the challenges within Africa’s digital ecosystem.

ICANN’s Africa Stakeholder Engagement team will present the study at ICANN80 during the Africa Space session on Wednesday, 12 June, at 13:30–15:00 UTC.

[Featured Image Credit]

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN’s) 80th Public Meeting [the ICANN80 Policy Forum], will be held from 10–13 June 2024 at the Kigali Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda.

This event, hosted in collaboration with the Republic of Rwanda’s Ministry of ICT and Innovation, marks the first ICANN meeting to take place in Rwanda.

This underscores ICANN’s commitment to fostering global participation and collaboration in the governance of the Internet.

The ICANN80 Policy Forum will convene stakeholders from around the world, including representatives from governments, businesses, civil society, academia, and the technical community.

Over four days, participants will engage in discussions on key issues affecting the Internet’s Domain Name System [DNS], including the need for improved DNS security, expanding the DNS to support more languages and scripts, and the evolution of domain name registration policies.

The forum aims to foster international collaboration and set the stage for future developments in Internet governance.

Prior to ICANN80, the High-Level Government Meeting [HLGM] is scheduled for 9 June 2024.

Chaired by the Hon. Paula Ingabire, Rwanda’s Minister of ICT and Innovation, the HLGM will highlight the critical role of governmental bodies in shaping ICANN policies and initiatives.

This meeting, led by ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee, will focus on promoting governmental engagement and fostering effective collaboration, to align and enhance global Internet governance efforts.

“We are excited to host the international community in Kigali for the ICANN80 Policy Forum and High-Level Government Meeting,” said Paula Ingabire, Minister of ICT & Innovation. “The Policy Forum will lead efforts to maintain a secure, stable, and interoperable internet, and set the stage for future developments and emerging trends in global internet governance. Our contributions as the local host for ICANN80 give us an opportunity to demonstrate our critical contributions towards global internet governance and the advancement of meaningful internet connectivity for all.”

ICANN Interim President and CEO Sally Costerton commented on the significance of the meeting:

“ICANN80 is a vital platform for advancing global digital inclusivity and strengthening cybersecurity measures. It will facilitate robust multistakeholder engagement and discussions on critical initiatives like the New Generic Top-Level Domain Program, particularly focusing on Internationalized Domain Names and the Applicant Support Program. The HLGM will further emphasize the essential role of governments in our collaborative efforts to address challenges such as data privacy and DNS abuse.”