DotConnectAfrica expresses commitment to work with African ccTLDs

DocConnectAfrica (DCA) project, which intends to manage and implement the “.africa” top level domain (GLD) if mandated by ICANN, has stated that it would work with the continent’s country code domains and help enhance their uptake and use.

While attending the recent ICANN-42 meeting held in Dakar, Senegal from October 19 to 21, 2011, Ms Sophia Bekele, DCA executive director, invited ccTLDs to partner with DCA to enhance adoption and use of local internet domains.

Ms Bekele said that the partnership with African ccTLDs would ensure synergy of efforts  in areas such as policy development, involvement of various communities, technical expertise, capacity building, and cross-marketing at a local level and other areas of interest to make .africa a success based on a resounding win-win outcome for everybody.

“As the commencement date of the application window for the new gTLDs draws closer, DCA once again extends an invitation to African ccTLD registries to join us and participate as stakeholders in our .africa initiative,” said Ms Bekele.

Expressions of Interest (EOI) can be sent to EOI@dotconnectafrica.org.
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DotConnectAfrica: ICANN 42 Dakar: Meet the Yes2DotAfrica Campaign in Senegal!

 DotConnectAfrica will be taking the "YES" campaign for DotAfrica to Senegal during the ICANN 42 Dakar. DCA has also sponsored the ICANN Dakar meeting. Read More:

DotConnectAfrica is delighted to inform its Pan-African constituency, and indeed, its significant community of stakeholders and avid supporters of the forth-coming ICANN Conference for Developing countries to be held in Dakar, Senegal from 23 October to 28 October 2011.

This will be another historic ICANN meeting, following the formal approval of the new generic Top Level Domains Program by the ICANN Board during the “ICANN Oscars” in Singapore in June 2011. It is also the last ICANN meeting before the commencement of the application process for the new gTLDs.  For DCA, it is the last meeting to rest our case for a new Top Level Domain name for Africa after six years of traversing the continent saying “Yes to DotAfrica”.

DCA intends to participate at ICANN meeting in Dakar and lend its voice and support to the proceedings.  DCA’s enormous pride and happiness in the forthcoming ICANN-42 Dakar meeting is two-fold:
First, the ICANN-42 meeting is taking place in an African country, and DCA’s principal interest is applying for the DotAfrica gTLD.   It is therefore an important recognition for Africa as one of the key geographic regions of ICANN.    Thus, the ICANN Dakar meeting promises to focus positive attentions not only on Africa, but also on DCA as the chief proposer of the DotAfrica initiative.

DCA has singularly championed and clarified the DotAfrica gTLD initiative over several years of painstaking hard work, and in the process, obtained key supportive endorsements for it from various stakeholders]

. Second, DotConnectAfrica is also one of the official sponsors of the ICANN-42 meeting in Dakar. Again, DotConnectAfrica (DCA) is proud of its long corporate association with ICANN, and has historically supported, and consistently participated in official ICANN events; having previously sponsored the ICANN meeting in Brussels in 2010 where the recommendations of the generic Names Supporting Organizations (gNSO) on the new gTLDs were adopted by the ICANN Board.

DotConnectAfrica’s involvement in ICANN meetings has therefore been consistent and stead-fast, and again re-confirms DCA’s long-standing and active commitment to the multi-stakeholder Internet Governance model.  We have been attending nearly every ICANN meeting for the last 6 years: contributing to the new gTLDs debate, visibly advancing new gTLD and also Africa’s concerns and positions on issues of Internet Governance at ICANN and to other global publics.  In the process, we widely promoted the Yes2DotAfrica Campaign and networked with the ICANN global community of stakeholders to get their valuable insight into issues of importance to the African Internet Community. DCA’s participatory leadership in these matters is unquestionable.

The ICANN Dakar meeting coming at this time, DotAfrica will be uppermost in everyone’s mind and DCA intends to use this opportunity to again reach out to a larger target audience whilst focusing on building the necessary consensus and the invaluable partnerships that will further reinforce the Yes2dotafrica Campaign so as to make the DotAfrica vision a reality.

DCA will forever remain proud of its vigorous campaign in support of the ICANN programme for the introduction of new gTLDs and its complementary successful campaign and advocacy for DotAfrica for the benefit of Africa.

The DotConnectAfrica Organization therefore joins the Government and people of Senegal in welcoming the global internet community to Dakar the Land of the Teranga and Leopold Sedar Senghor’s ‘Negritude’, and to Africa, the home of DotAfrica.

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DotConnectAfrica's Commentary to Mr. David Goldstein

Commentary by DotConnectAfrica on the blog article Organizations vying for .africa advance their cases

by David Goldstein:

Dear Mr. David Goldstein,

After our attention was drawn to the inaccurate portrayals contained in your blogged posted article: ‘Organizations vying for .Africa Advance their cases’, we had directly raised issues with the article which we had communicated to you. We are again re-stating those issues for your benefit.

First, we believe you have taken materials from existing Internet media content and recycle it which made it impossible for you to cover the issue from an analytical view point.

Second, your article lacks balance since you have not shown how DCA has advanced its case on DotAfrica.   It would seem to any reader that you managed to portray the views of the ARC representative by restating statements that have been attributed to him.   You devoted about ten (10) paragraphs in your article to ARC whilst the only sentence written in relation to DCA is not only irrelevant to DotAfrica, but also a 'contextual mismatch' with the subject matter of your article. DCA fails to see how a Forbes Magazine Article that selects Njeri Rionge as one of ‘Africa’s Successful Women’ qualifies as advancing our case on DotAfrica.  Whilst Njeri Rionge’s individual achievement is indeed laudable, and DCA is proud of the association, but our case for DotAfrica as proposer and main long-term promoter of the Yes2DotAfrica Campaign cannot be anchored on the Forbes magazine article.

We therefore believe that you have deliberately written your blog to promote only the views of the ARC representative and not to ensure journalistic balance and integrity. Whilst DCA frowns upon any form of ‘uninspired writing’ in Internet blogs’, we also believe that this is highly unethical on your part, since a more accurate and balanced portrayal of DCA’s intentions on DotAfrica would have better served the purpose of your article for the benefit of your readers.

We hope you will post this rejoinder on your blog, since ‘comments’ are closed through the web site where the article appeared. 

However, since we first conveyed our concerns privately to  you,  we note that you flatly refused to post our rejoinder, but even so, used the opportunity of your reaction to further confirm and convey your existing biases thereby outraging DCA further.  Even though we believe that you have 'neither lot nor portion' in the matter of DotAfrica; by making a rather subjective judgment as to who the African Internet Community is supporting or not supporting, your partisan posturing against DCA eerily suggests to us that you are probably in the pay of DCA's opponents or in ardent opposition to DCA for reasons best known to you.  DCA remains concerned of this adversarial posturing on your part. even so, you have not shown any proof in your blog that ARC has managed to garner any credible community support for its stale campaign for the DotAfrica gTLD initiative that DCA has already been endorsed for by many important organizations and governments.

Accordingly, we hereby serve notice that any further unwarranted aggravation from you will be viewed more seriously and would advise you to cease and desist from any tendentious piece of blogging activity that is aimed at misrepresenting or undermining DCA's Yes2DotAfirca Campaign before global publics.

Yours sincerely,

Thomas Kamanzi
For DotConnectAfrica

Start-up Success San Francisco Web 2.0 meets Yes2dotAfrica!

Web 2.0 Expo, co-produced by O’Reilly Media, Inc. and UBM TechWeb, showcases the latest Web 2.0 business models, development paradigms, products, and design strategies for the builders of the next-generation Web. This annual multi-track conference brings together people, ideas, connections, contacts, products, and companies to foster stronger Web 2.0 communities. Web 2.0 Expo events occur in San Francisco and New York and feature influential keynotes and speakers, detailed workshops, a Startup Showcase, an Expo show floor, and rich networking events.

The Yes2dotAfrca campaign was among the participant, and made very good impression in presenting its goals and missions.

DCA was approached and interviewed by Bob Walsh and Patrick Foley who frequently cover start-ups at Web 2.0 and was asked to present its activities to their regular audiences ….
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DotAfrica (.africa) made History with ICANN in Singapore!

Singapore: The DotConnect Africa (DCA) Organization participated in the ICANN-41 Meeting that took place in Singapore from 20th to 24th June 2011.

Singapore provided DCA with another opportunity to further consolidate its position and the relevance of DotAfrica as a prospective outcome of the successful campaign for the introduction of new generic Top Level Domains (gTLD) on the Internet by ICANN.  DCA’s Singapore activities started with being part of the Breakfast meeting organized by ICANN for DNS Women in Singapore. Women in the Domain Name System, is a networking group for Professional women involved in the domain name industry.

A Historic Decision:


The ICANN 41 meeting in Singapore proved to be a very important historical landmark following the approval of the plan by the ICANN Board to launch new generic Top Level Domains (gTLD). This was the most important accomplishment of the Singapore meeting.   The key message behind this revolutionary decision is that the Internet as a resource for information exchange and communications will change.  It is expected that the new gTLDs would be the next big thing that would spur a new “Dot” revolution on the Internet, perhaps surpassing the “DotCom” boom which occurred a little over a decade ago.  The new gTLD’s present new innovative opportunities for business in terms of the new web sites and new businesses that would likely result from the new gTLD program.

DCA’s made History with ICANN and Africa:

DCA as a leading campaigner for DotAfrica and an important stakeholder and supporter of the ICANN process takes especial pride in the successes achieved during the seminal meeting that took place in Singapore.  The successful passage of the ICANN Board Resolution approving the introduction of the new gTLDs was ample justification for DCA’s initiation of project since (6) years and its campaign and strenuous efforts expended over the past two years after winning the pivotal endorsement for DotAfrica from the African Union Commission and other esteemed partners.
Prior to the Singapore meeting, DCA had proactively lobbied by official correspondence the United States National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) under the Department of Commerce to make a justifiable case the DotAfrica gTLD and inform the influential agency that the ICANN process for introducing new gTLDs is fair and transparent and that due consideration has been given to the protection of trademark interests. This was seen as a very important contribution amongst others to winning cross-cutting support for the approval of the new gTLD program by all stakeholders of ICANN. http://www.icann.org/en/correspondence/bekele-to-dengate …

ICANN recognizes Africa as one of its important ‘geographic regions’. It is therefore the intention of DCA to apply for DotAfrica and implement this gTLD for the benefit of users in Africa.   New applications for the new gTLD program will be received by ICANN between 12th January 2011 and April 2011.

DCA and its “yes2DotAfrica” campaign:

DCA still sees a compelling need for continuing its campaign to ensure the market sustainability of the DotAfrica gTLD, as post-meeting snap review of the current knowledge and attitude of users indicates that most people still do not see the potential benefits of the new gTLD, or the innovative possibilities that this represents.  DCA’s ‘Yes to DotAfrica’ campaign will continue to undertake the social responsibility of educating and informing users and supporters regarding how people will benefit from the new gTLD program.

DCA and ccTLDs

To the above therefore, DCA will reach out to those ccTLDs in Africa that are presently unaffiliated to AfTLD, since  AfTLD is already going the private sector route by establishing new tie-ups that are entirely profit-driven whilst subverting its original mission and mandate in the process.  DCA would work with those ccTLDs based on its previous commitment of cross-marketing which we announced in Kampala, thereby giving users and registrants a wider choice in the innovative use of new Internet domains under the DotAfrica initiative.  http://prlog.org/10835407

DCA and IDNs:
Another historical landmark achieved in Singapore was the approval of the new Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) by the ICANN Board that would allow for the use of non-Latin language scripts as Top Level Domains (TLDs).   Ms. Sophia Bekele, the Executive Director and spearhead of DCA’ was also a strong advocate and a successful champion towards policy development to the introduction of IDNs for global IDN needy stakeholder.  As such,  she was honorably invited to speak at the Singapore IDN forum, but could not attend.  However, DCA’s DotAfrica initiative has already been endorsed by the esteemed Internationalized Domain Resolution Union (IDRU) for its invaluable contributions to the success of the IDN initiative.  http://www.prlog.org/11133461-dotconnectafrica-endorsed- ….  It is a fact to state that Modern IDN was pioneered and invented in Singapore circa 1997/1998.

Miss.africa:
From such inspirations as the DNS Women’s group of ICANN and other international organizations such as ITU, stem DCA’s “Miss.africa”

program which DCA had the very important opportunity of introducing and publicizing during the ICANN gala in Singapore.   Miss.africa as part of DCA’s DotAfrica vision is an effort aimed at inspiring girls and women in technology for personal growth, positive action, and digital self-awareness with funding to be provided from DCA’s charitable trust fund.  Miss.africa is envisioned as one of the central pillars of DCA’s corporate social responsibility program.

What is Next for DCA:
Following the great success of the Singapore meeting, DCA is now building momentum towards the next ICANN meeting that would take place in Dakar, Senegal in October 2011.  It is expected that by then; DCA’s concerted campaign for awareness of the new gTLDs alongside ICANN’s communication strategy would have reached critical mass before the opening of the application’s window for the new gTLDs.  The Dakar meeting holds very great prospects for DotAfrica, since this meeting shall be taking place on African soil.

Related News:

- DotConnectAfrica  6 year Major Milestone in its campaign for DotAfrica!

- Historic Singapore Meeting Concludes; After Significant Advances to Internet's Naming System

- ICANN Approves Historic Change to Internet's Domain Name System

- Sophia Bekele making a case for .africa initiative at ICANN & US Government