The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) at-large membership has appointed Dr Nii Narku Quaynor of Ghana to represent the African continent`s Internet needs to the body responsible for IP address space allocation, protocol parameter assignment, domain name system management and root server system management functions.
His peers, through an Internet election hosted on election.com, voted Quaynor to the position of "at-large" director. He will join the other 19 directors on the ICANN board, in effect acting as Africa`s voice on Internet issues. Quaynor garnered 67 votes at the poles, coming in ahead of Alan Levin (33) and Calvin Browne (30), both of SA.
"Nii has a lot of respect," says Browne, "and that is represented [in the voting results]." Browne notes that the vote was not dependent on nationality, which he sees as a responsible decision by the voters involved, as Quaynor is expected to represent Africa`s interests, and not a particular country.
The deep involvement of Africa, as the newest of the emerging Internet communities, is critical for the success of the ICANN process in order to avoid further digital divide.
Dr Nii Quaynor, at-large director, ICANN
In his personal statement on the ICANN site, Quaynor says: "The deep involvement of Africa, as the newest of the emerging Internet communities, is critical for the success of the ICANN process in order to avoid further digital divide. I am committed to working for its development and will ensure Africa`s participation by building in-region grassroots institutions that mobilise Africans to participate in ICANN."
"We would seek support for the needs of the underprivileged of the Internet and favour formulating an agile balance of private, civil and public interests," continues Quaynor.
He holds a BA in engineering science from Dartmouth College, a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Thayer School of Engineering, and MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science from the State University of New York at StonyBrook.
Africa had the smallest number of votes of any region in the world for its representative, tallying a meagre 130 votes, compared to 17 745 for Asia/Australia/Pacific, 11 309 for Europe, 1 402 for Latin America/Caribbean, and 3 449 for North America.
The ICANN board composes nine at-large directors, nine selected by ICANN`s three supporting organisations, and the president/CEO.
Quaynor was not available for comment at time of publication.
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