Uneak White's Personal Brand Exploration Presentation
Dotafrica Presentation A I T E C 2010 Launch Of The Dotafrica Campaign Kenya
1. .Africa
The launch of the .africa East Africa Campaign
1bn people,
54 countries,
1domain
By Sophia Bekele
Executive Director
DotConnectAfrica
Former Policy Advisor,
ICANN
2. 1. Theme for .Africa campaign
2. State of the African Internet usage
3. The vision of .africa domain
4. The need for Africa Specific Domain
5. Strengthening ccTLDs –impact of .africa
domain
6. Who is DotConnectAfrica?
7. Organizational Structure
8. Governance Representation & Community
9. Achievements/Challenges
10. How do u get involved, aside from being a
consumer?
11. Next Step for you!
• Africa
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
3. Official launch of the dotafrica East Africa Campaign.:
. Announce our three “ Yes” to a “.africa” campaign”
. Announcing the progress we have made
. Launch our New website
. Ways to get the DCA vision at continental and global level.
. Strengthen our governance structure by adding key
stakeholders that has contribution power
. Mobilization of African Thought Leaders
. Publication of a research of the demand for ‘.africa’ name.
. Road show and amplification of ”.africa” to ensure
endorsement and scalability.
. Raising Civil Society Awareness and submit the Manifest to
public consultation.
. Retreat in Mombasa March 2011, post application to
ICANN. • Africa
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
5. Information Society
to
Internet Society
Computer Science is no more about computers
than astronomy is about telescopes.
- E.W. Dijkstra
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
6. 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.
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
7. 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
9. A Common Vision
Vision without action is a daydream.
Action without vision is a nightmare.
Japanese Proverb
• Africa
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
11. Status of TLDs
There are presently 21 gTLDs in the root zone
There were eight that predate ICANN:
.com .edu .gov .int .mil .net .org .arpa
Seven were added in a round starting
.aero .biz .coop .info .museum .name .pro . Post
Six were added in a round starting in 2004
.asia .cat .jobs .mobi .tel .travel (soon to be added)
Experience in past rounds has been factored into current new gTLD
Panning
ccTLDs are currently allocated per reference to the ISO3166-1 list (e.g.
.cn for China, .gr for Greece) IDN ccTLDs being added via IDN ccTLD fast Track
Process • Africa
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
12. Need for Africa-specific 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
13. Strengthening ccTLds/Regional TLDs
• 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;
.EAC, .COMESA
• Elevation of ccTLDs to Continental and Global
Identity inherent in the Africa name
• Supporting goal of regional /continental integration
of National countries (ccTLDs)
• “Noting else in the world…not all the armies in the
world …is so powerful as an idea whose time has
come” and .africa is that idea & here to stay.
Victor Hugo
• Africa
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
14. 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
15. 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
16. 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
17. 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
18. 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
19. DCA Governance Structure
Key Pan Board of Directors
African CO-Sponsor
Sponsor Org members
• AU Chairman’s
• UNECA • Businesses
Advisory
• 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
20. 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 Sponsors at ICANN 38 Brussels- The 1st African
TLD to sponsor International conference; EAIGF Kampala
Uganda; AITEC ICT Summit Nairobi • Africa
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
21. Our promise of putting .africa
on the global digital map
Africa Leadership Retreat 2020 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
22. .africa - the first African
TLD to be sponsored at an
International European
event – Brussels ICANN
38
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
23. Challenges!
• Political - continental project
• Adaption from existing gTlds, .com, .org
• Branding
• Cost
• Access to internet
• Good Infrastructure
• Capacity building/training
• Africa
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
24. Challenges!
• Other African groupings that have resisted our applications
• A substantial misrepresentation of our initiative
• PRIVATE SECTOR;
• U.S BASED;
• not an “ICANN” establishment;
• belongs to “individual”
• fake endorsement s
• 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
25. 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
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org• Africa
26. NEXT STEPS!
• Host country Identification in progress
• Registry selection in progress
• Awaiting for ICANN to issue the application
of TLDs, mid March
• Assemble a Working group
• Develop Ideas/discuss issues
• Champions in each region –
• 6 regions ( EAC, COMESA, IGAD, SADC,
ECOWAS, CCAS)
• Hold our ongoing policy discussion
• Africa
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
27. "yea" or "nay
yea" or "nay" on
Internet Governance – The Policy Divide
How many participants think “.africa” is a great idea?
"yea" or "nay"
AITEC East Africa ICT Summit 2 010 – www.dotconnectafrica.org
28. One Club Policy - Global policy
Your African Mobile Identity
Contact us at:
Support@dotconnectafrica.org
DotConnectAfrica.org