African Leadership Retreat 2020 Johannesburg,South Africa from 4th-13th July,2010
Read More Here http://www.dotconnectafrica.org/2010/07/the-africa-name-re-branding-africa-at-the-world-cup/
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DotAfrica Presentation Johannesburg South Africa- African Leadership Retreat
1. .Africa
1bn people, 54 countries, 1domain
By Sophia Bekele
African Leadership Retreat, 2020 Executive Director
Johannesburg, South Africa DotConnectAfrica
Former Policy Advisor, ICANN
2. 1. The need for Africa Specific Regional Domain
2. Global Economy and the Internet
3. Status of the Internet in Africa
4. Who is ICANN?
5. Need for Africa specific Continental name
6. Who is DotConnectAfrica?
7. Governance Representation & Community
8. Interested sponsors
9. Achievement to date
10. Challenges
11. Why Support the DCA Initiative
• Africa
4. Information Society
to
Internet Society
Computer Science is no more about computers
than astronomy is about telescopes.
- E.W. Dijkstra
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
5. Opportunities
The global Economy is reforming
• Affordable internet, phone, pc devises, prices, CapEx Vs. OpEx,
NGN
• Web 2.0 (social tipping point); Viral ; Cloud computing
• where one has a convergence of 70% of the planet bring
universal access and democracy of information
• Interesting business models and consumer reach and increase
in productivity
expand knowledge ,
creation capacity,
advances In science and health.
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
6. A Paradigm shift - Convergence Opportunities
Internet use has exploded globally
• more than 300% since 2000
• 1.4 million Internet users
• 3.6 billion people use mobile telephony just
over half of the world’s population
This intersection
– where users access the
Internet from their mobile
phones – maps a
revolutionary digital paradigm
shift
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
9. What does governance of the Internet mean? Who
What
When
Where
Building under Construction
DotConnectAfrica.org
10. Information Society
to
Internet Society
Computer Science is no more about computers
than astronomy is about telescopes.
- E.W. Dijkstra
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
11. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names & Numbers
(ICANN)
A nonprofit organization that manages and
coordinates the Domain Name System.
ICANN focuses on preserving
the stability of the Internet;
promoting competition;
achieving broad representation of global
Internet communities;
developing policy through bottom-up,
consensus-based processes.
• Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
12. "yea" or "nay
yea" or "nay" on
Internet Governance – The Policy Divide
Participation & Vote
"yea" or "nay"
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
13. A Common Vision
Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
Japanese Proverb
• Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
16. Need for Africa-specific continental domain
• Currently, Internet users in the Pan-Africa and
African region only have the option of utilizing a
generic TLD (gTLD) whose registrants are dominated
by US and European individuals and businesses, or
country-code TLDs (ccTLDs) that are intended for
local use
• Current gTLDs also tend to focus on a vertical group
(e.g. commercial entities, network providers,
organizations , etc.) within the global Internet,
“.Africa” will embrace a horizontal perspective with
a clear brand to reach and enrich the broad global
community.
• Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
17. Need for Africa-specific continental domain
• Unlike ccTLDs, which provide for a local audience,
“.Africa” will allow the user to express membership in
the larger Pan African and African community.
• “.Africa” domain will also allow Africa to take its
rightful place alongside .EU, .ASIA and .LAC
• Also it complies with WSIS objectives on empowering
undeveloped countries using ICT, and fits as an ICT4D
project.
• “.Africa” complies with AU, ECA and ADB policy of
development for the continent. • Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
18. Compliments Existing
National Domain Names
• Offering of second level domain names by
cross marketing of domain names such as
.za.africa; .co.ke.africa; .et.africa;
ug.africa ; .ng.africa
• Elevation of national names to Continental
and Global Identity inherent in the Africa
name
• Supporting goal of regional /continental
integration of National countries • Africa
East African Internet Governance Forum 2010– www.dotconnectafrica.org
19. Who is DotConnectAfrica?
The Mission
• To sponsor, establish and operate a continental
Internet namespace with global recognition and
regional significance, dedicated to the needs of
the Pan-African and African Internet community.
• To operate a viable and technically advanced TLD
registry for the Pan-Africa and African community.
• To reinvest partial surpluses in socio-technological
advancement initiatives relevant to the Pan-Africa
and African Internet community; and • Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
20. Organizational Structure
Is to be made up of different sponsor organizations:
• Sponsor Members
• Co-sponsor Members
• Businesses
• Non-profit - NGOs
• Other relevant community
organizations in the region
• Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
21. Organizational Structure, cont’d.
Members will make up of Board of Directors
• The BOD will be advised on policy matters by an
Advisory Council
• AC will be populated by one representative from
each co-Sponsor organization.
• A proceeds Steering Committee (PROSCOM) will
be created and appointed by the Board to
oversee the allocation of surplus proceeds from
registry operations.
• Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
22. Governance & Representation of Community
• The governance of the .Africa Organization is to be driven thru
a multistakeholder representation and augmented by regional
and international expertise.
• Having direct and close involvement of many Governments,
Businesses , NGO’s ensures a wealth of knowledge and expertise
in the operational and policy management of a TLD registry in
the Pan-Africa and Africa region.
• Governance model is to be adapted from the Africa’s
development policy model augmented with other geo –TLD
names. The .Africa Organization intends to operate openly &
transparently.
• Public Policy consideration will include direct input from policy
makers , therefore consulting with the AU/ECA/ADB on policy
matters. • Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
23. Governance Structure
Key Pan Board of Directors
African CO-Sponsor
Sponsor Org members
• AU Chairman’s
• UNECA • Businesses
Advisory y
• ADB • Internet orgs
Council
• IT org,
• Teleco
• NGO
CEO • Non-profit,
• Other relevant
Functional VPs Africa-based
Customer
orgs
Marketing & Admin
Bus Dev Support Staff • Governments
• Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
24. Interested Sponsor Members & Co-Sponsors
• African Union (AU)
• Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
• African Development Bank (ADB)
• Other Pan-African Organizations
• African Private Sector Actors
• African Non-Profits
• African Internet Actors
• National ICT Policy organs
• Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
25. Achievments to date
• Introduction to Regional Key African organs, and
Governments
• Endorsements by the African Union, Economic
Commission for Africa (ECA) and 20% of African Govt
• Travel Across Africa campaigning, 8 African countries
since February
• Established website with informative content showing
progress and prototype
• Established Newsletter to communicate status/activities
• Established presence on social media sites, Twitter,
Facebook , creating that “generation .africa”
• Mailing list of 600 & growing since February 2010
• Substantial Relevant African Media coverage
• Official Sponsor at ICANN 38 Brussels- The 1st African TLD
to sponsor International conference
• Sponsor/ East African IGF, Kampala Uganda • Africa
East African Internet Governance Forum 2010– www.dotconnectafrica.org
26. Our promise of putting .africa
on the global digital map
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
27. NEXT STEPS for you!
• Reserve your names for registration!
• Become Sponsor and sponsor members
• Follow-us on Twitter, Facebook & our blog
• Google us @ “dotConnectafrica”
• Africa
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
28. .africa - the first African
TLD to be sponsored at an
International European
event – Brussels ICANN
38
East African Internet Governance Forum 2010– www.dotconnectafrica.org
29. Challenges!
• Political - continental project
• Adaption from existing gTlds, .com, .org
• Branding
• Cost
• Access to internet
• Good Infrastructure
• Capacity building/training
• Africa
East African Internet Governance Forum 2010– www.dotconnectafrica.org
30. Challenges!
• Other African groupings that have resisted our applications –
political blocking - cant stop us from implementation
• A substantial misrepresentation of our initiative
• PRIVATE SECTOR;
• U.S BASED;
• not an “ICANN” establishment;
• belongs to “individual”
• fake endorsement
• Not being invited to relevant internet community platforms to
represent ourselves properly
• Blocked from posting to relevant community forums so as not
to share our work
• GeoPolitics of African countries, which would want
host/registry in own countries
• Threaten our early endorsements • Africa
East African Internet Governance Forum 2010– www.dotconnectafrica.org
31. Why support the DCA initiative!
• Early applicants to the .Africa name to ICANN
• Early endorsements from the continental policy
makers
• Early endorsements from other stakeholders
• Diaspora Africans who are committed to the
continent bring transfer of knowledge & technology
• Multi-stakeholder governance model – Best Practice
• Non-Profit/Non-Partisan organization
• (DCA is a TRUST registered in neutral country Mauritius
• Open/transparent initiative - over 15 Press Releases
since February 2010 disclosing our activities.
• Inclusive cross marketing opportunity for ccTLDs
• Support new African based gTLDs
• Team committed to building “generation.africa”
• Team committed to branding Africa in positive light • Africa
East African Internet Governance Forum 2010– www.dotconnectafrica.org
32. One Club Policy - Global policy
Your African Mobile Identity
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Support@dotconnectafrica.org
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