Subscribe

UniForum to administer new dotAfrica domains

Staff Writer
By Staff Writer, ITWeb
Johannesburg, 24 Feb 2012

The African Union (AU) has chosen the .ZA central registry operator, UniForum SA, as its preferred registry operator to administer the upcoming dotAfrica Top Level Domain.

The endorsement comes after an evaluation of proposals from local and international registries that were submitted in December, says a statement issued by UniForum.

DotAfrica will be a pan-African identification for regional online operations when it is opened up for registration. DotAfrica will be among the new generic top-level domains that are expected to be approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers next year.

“This is an important step for organisations and individuals interested in acquiring an African online identity, as dotAfrica will give added visibility and identity to operations in the region,” says Neil Dundas, a UniForum SA director.

"The African Union Commission will work with its appointed registry operator to establish ways to promote dotAfrica. Specific outcomes will be increased online content generation; the establishment of policies and rules on registrations, intellectual property and dispute resolution; as well as the promotion of ICT use in the region," says AU representative Abulkhirat Esam.

The dotAfrica project is sponsored by the African Union with support from Africa Top Level Domain organisation AfTLD. The appointed registry operator will submit its application to ICANN before the April deadline.

Share