The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), in its duty to maintain the central repository for IP addresses and helps coordinate the supply of IP addresses, is working to make the global domain name system more inclusive and accessible for African internet users and businesses.
In an interview with Techjaja, Pierre Dandjinou, ICANN’s Vice President for Africa, discussed the organization’s efforts to support script diversity and increase domain name registrations in local languages across the continent.
“Globally we do not use domain names systems (DNSs) and IP addresses as it should be in terms of digital inclusivity,” Dandjinou stated. “There is a growing need for opening more opportunities to internet users and businesses in Africa to have access to universally accepted, secure, standardized, as well as interoperable domain name protocols, regardless of script and language.”
One key barrier to digital inclusivity in Africa has been the lack of support for non-Latin scripts.
Historically, domain names were limited to ASCII characters, making it difficult for non-English speakers to establish an online presence. However, the introduction of Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) has allowed for the registration of domain names in various African languages, similar to what has been done for Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and other Asian languages.
Since ICANN began its digital inclusivity campaign, there have been over 1,000 registration requests for new domain names from African countries. To further promote script diversity, ICANN is working with governments, national regulators and stakeholders to categorize all domain names and language scripts.
The organization is also advocating for the promotion of Swahili and other local languages used by many African countries by setting up capacity building workshops with IT specialists and linguists.
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Another major initiative is ICANN’s collaboration with the Coalition for a Digital Africa, which aims to achieve three key objectives: connectivity/accessibility, inclusivity, and capacity development and resources mobilisation.
The Coalition is currently working on several projects with partners such as the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), International Organization for Standards (ISO), and the Association of African Universities (AAU).
One of these projects involves the installation of Internet management resources and route servers (IMRRS) to increase local connectivity. As a recent Africa Domain Name Industry Study found, prior to the installation of a cluster in Nairobi, Kenya, 40% of DNS queries to the root zone from Africa were resolved outside of the continent. After the installation, this number was reduced to 25% .
To further support digital inclusivity, ICANN is also engaging with state actors and stakeholders to facilitate knowledge sharing, capacity building and resource mobilization through tailored workshop programmes on digital literacy, digital marketing, and cybersecurity. The organization is also working to develop standardized domain governance policies and rules with national governments and competent authorities.
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Looking ahead, ICANN plans to launch new initiatives for generic top-level domains (gTLDs) within the next two years, which have already been discussed at the ICANN meeting in Kigali, Rwanda which transpired this June 2024. The application criteria for these new gTLDs aims to open up opportunities for everyone while helping professionals and users develop business continuity strategies.
As Dandjinou emphasized, “Inclusiveness is at the heart of the dialogue with national governments, competent regulatory authorities, and relevant stakeholders.”
By working closely with partners and stakeholders across Africa, ICANN is making significant strides in promoting digital inclusivity and expanding access to domain names in local languages. However, more work remains to be done to overcome barriers and ensure that the benefits of the internet are accessible to all Africans.
