Program
Day 0 – 4th October 2022: Kenya DNS Forum
KENIC, the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for .ke, will host the Kenya DNS Forum on 4 October 2022, Kenya’s National Domain Name System (DNS) Day, at Emara Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi. The Kenya DNS Forum is an open event for stakeholders in the domain name industry. The event will bring together representatives from the information and communications technologies (ICT)/DNS sectors, local and international policymakers, global registries for ccTLDs, domain name registrars, and registrants to discuss the growth of the DNS ecosystem and its impact on technology. The theme for this year’s DNS Forum is cybersecurity.
Click here for the agenda of Kenya DNS Forum.
| TIME (UTC+3) – Local Time | SPEAKERS | |
|
9.00 am – 9.45 am + 9.45 am – 10.00 am |
Opening Ceremony The Opening Ceremony will feature an address by representatives from the partner organizations that form the Africa DNS Forum. The session will be led by the local host and will culminate in the official opening of the forum.
Keynote: Promoting a Diverse DNS Ecosystem in Africa The keynote will address the role of various stakeholders in the DNS ecosystem in Africa and highlight their potential contributions, as well as propose ideas on how to diversify the ecosystem. |
Opening Ceremony
Master of Ceremony:
Speakers: Pierre Dandjinou, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement, ICANN Ali Hadji Mmadi, President, AfTLD Mouhamet Diop, Chairman, AfRegistrar – Presentation Sally Costerton, SVP, Global Stakeholder Engagement, Senior Advisor to the President and CEO, ICANN Joel Karubiu, Chief Executive Officer, KeNIC Geoffrey Shimanyula, Chairman of the Board, KeNIC
Official Opening: Ezra Chiloba, Director General, Communications Authority of Kenya
Lucky Masilela, Chief Executive Officer, Registry Africa |
| 10.00 am – 10.30 am | Break | |
| 10.30 am –11.50 am
+ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM |
Session 1: Reflections on the Africa Domain Name System Forum Over the Past 10 Years This panel of pioneers will provide institutional and personal perspectives on the journey of the Africa DNS Forum through the years. The panellists will look at the early days of the forum, successes, failures over the 10 years, and areas for improvement.
Session 2: Emerging Issues in the African DNS Landscape This session will provide insight and perspective on the readiness of the African DNS marketplace and industry to benefit from emerging technological, business, and marketing trends. |
Reflections on the Africa Domain Name System Forum Over the Past 10 Years
Moderator: Molehe Wesi, Chief Executive Officer, .za Domain Name Authority Kevin Chege, Director, Internet Development Internet Society Pierre Dandjinou, Vice President Stakeholder Engagement, ICANN Dr. Alex Corenthin, Executive Committee Member, AfTLD
Emerging Issues in the African DNS Landscape Moderator: Biyi Oladipo, Vice Chairman, country code Name Supporting Organization Neil Dundas, Chief Executive Officer, DNS Africa | Technical trends |
| 1.00 PM – 2 PM | Lunch Break | |
| 2.00 PM – 3.00 PM
+ 3.00 PM – 4.00 PM |
Session 3
This panel will provide insight on the prevailing legal, regulatory, privacy, and human rights issues, as well as the registrant rights and responsibilities in relation to domain names in Africa as compared to rest of the world.
Showcases The session will share experiences and best practices from various national- and regional-level initiatives worth learning from. |
Policy and Regulatory Updates
Moderator: Dr. Paulos Nyirenda, CEO, Malawi Network Information Centre Oluniyi Ajao, Managing Director, Web4Afrika | Legal Updates Ephraim Percy Kenyanito, Senior Program Officer at ARTICLE 19 | Human Rights and the DNS Brian Guterman, Senior Program Manager, ICANN | Registrant Rights and responsibilities – Presentation
National and Regional Showcases Moderator: Yaovi Atohoun, Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Director, ICANN Andreia De Brito, .PT Legal Advisor, LUSNIC – Presentation Joel Karubiu, Chief Executive Officer, KeNIC Molehe Wesi, Chief Executive Officer, ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) / South Africa DNS Forum Herve Hounzandji, Benin DNS Forum – Presentation |
| COFFEE BREAK | ||
| Gala Dinner Special 10-Year Anniversary Celebration | ||
| TIME (UTC+3) – Local Time | SPEAKERS | |
|---|---|---|
| 9.00 am – 10.00 am |
Session 1: The Financial Sector in Africa and Its Impact on the Domain Name System This panel will explore and highlight the existing challenges facing cross-border transactions in Africa, especially the DNS industry, and also propose potential remedies that could support a more efficient cross-border DNS business– from both a business-to-business and business-to-consumer perspective. |
Moderator: Barrack Otieno, General Manager, AFTLD
Igor Ciza, CEO, Afriregister / Cross Border Registrar
Rosemary Koech Kimwatu, Board Member, Kenya Network Information Centre |
| BREAK | ||
| 10.30 am – 11.50 am |
Session 2: Youth and the DNS This session will explore Africa’s youth involvement in the DNS. It has always been said that more than 65% of the African population is youth. To what extent are they participating in the DNS Industry? What has been their experience? What else can be done and by whom to ensure the DNS industry can fully leverage the youth’s potential? |
Moderator: Grace Ingabire, Chief Executive Officer, RICTA
Molehe Wesi, Chief Executive Officer, ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA)
Ben Roberts, Liquid Intelligent Technologies
Rose Gohue, Benin Women DNS Academy Jasper Mangwana, Case Study Zimbabwe |
| 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM |
Session 3: Promoting Innovation in the DNS Ecosystem in Africa This session will explore emerging trends in so far as innovation of the DNS is concerned within the African Continent and beyond |
Moderator: Bob Ochieng, Senior Stakeholder Engagement Manager ICANN
Yazid Akanho, Technical Engagement Senior Specialist, ICANN | African ccTLDs name servers resilience – Presentation
Eduardo Alvarez, Director, Technical Services Operations, ICANN | EAI Survey Tool – a tool for ccTLDs to measure UA-readiness – Presentation Dusan Stojicevic, Gransy SRO |
| LUNCH BREAK | ||
|
2.00 PM – 3.00 PM + 3.00 PM – 4.00 PM |
Session 4: Looking into the Future This session will look at the Africa DNS Forum’s future outlook. After 10 years of the DNS Forum, what is our expectation for the next 10 years? What business and technical plans, adjustments, and policies should the industry plan for? Where do want to be 10 years from now?
Closing Session During the closing session, the host for the next forum will be formally announced. This will be the final session that will provide an opportunity to appreciate the local host and other players who made this year’s forum a success. |
Moderator: Adiel Akplogan, Vice President of Technical Engagement, ICANN
Rosemary Koech Kimwatu, Board Member, KeNIC | Legal and Regulatory Perspective Lucky Masilela, Chief Executive Officer, the .za Central Registry (ZACR) | Business Perspective
Closing Session Moderator: Joel Karubiu, Chief Executive Officer, KeNIC
Ali Hadji Mmadi, President, AfTLD
Mouhamet Diop, Chaiman, AfRegistrar
Pierre Dandjinou, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement, ICANN |