Program

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.

Opening Ceremony

Master of Ceremony:
Barrack Otieno, General Manager, AfTLD

Speakers:

Pierre Dandjinou, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement, ICANN

Ali Hadji Mmadi, President, AfTLD

Mouhamet Diop, Chairman, AfRegistrar

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

9.45 am – 10.00 am

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.

Andile Ngacba, Chairman and Founding Partner, Convergence Partners

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 panelists will look at the early days of the forum, successes, failures over the 10 years, and areas for improvement.

Moderator: Angela Matlapeng, ccTLD Engineer, Botswana Communications Regulatory Authority BOCRA

Kevin Chege, Director, Internet Development Internet Society

Pierre Dandjinou, Vice President Stakeholder Engagement, ICANN

Dr. Alex Corenthin, Executive Committee Member, AfTLD

Dr. Nii Quaynor, Chairman, Ghana Dot Com and Member of Africa Registrar Association

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.

Moderator: Biyi Oladipo, Vice Chairman, country code Name Supporting Organization

Neil Dundas, Chief Executive Officer, DNS Africa | Technical trends

Joel Karubiu, Chief Executive Officer, KeNIC | Business Trends

Session 3: Policy and Regulatory Updates

This panel will provide insight into the prevailing legal, regulatory, privacy, and human rights issues, as well as the registrant’s rights and responsibilities in relation to domain names in Africa as compared to the rest of the world.

Moderator: Dr Paulos Nyirenda, CEO, Malawi Network Information Centre

Oluniyi Ajao, Managing Director, Web4Afrika | Legal Updates 

Dr. Serge Sanou, ARCEP Burkina Faso’s Regulatory Authority for Electronic Communication | Regulatory 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

Showcases: National and Regional Showcases 

The session will share experiences and best practices from various national- and regional-level initiatives worth learning from.

Moderator: Yaovi Atohoun, Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Director, ICANN

Andreia De Brito, .PT Legal Advisor, LUSNIC

Joel Karubiu, Chief Executive Officer, KeNIC

Molehe Wesi, Chief Executive Officer, ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA) / South Africa DNS Forum

Rose Gohue, Benin Women DNS Academy

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: Bob Ochieng, Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager, ICANN

Igor Ciza, CEO, Afriregister / Cross Border Registrar

Ali Hussein, Board Member, Africa Fintech Network (AFN) 

Stephen Kiptiness, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Safaricom PLC

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) 

Jasper Mangwana, President, Internet Society Zimbabwe Chapter

Rose Gohue, Benin Women DNS Academy

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: Simon Balthazar, Principal ICT Officer, Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority

Yazid Akanho, Technical Engagement Senior Specialist, ICANN | African ccTLDs name servers resilience

Eduardo Alvarez, Director, Technical Services Operations, ICANN | EAI Survey Tool – a tool for ccTLDs to measure UA-readiness

Mark Elkins, Chief Executive Officer, POSIX Systems

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?

Moderator: Adiel Akplogan, Vice President 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

Alan Barret, Board of Directors, ICANN

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: Joel Karubiu, Chief Executive Officer, KeNIC

Ali Hadji Mmadi, President, AfTLD

Mouhamed Diop, Chaiman, AfRegistrar

Pierre Dandjinou, Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement, ICANN