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DotConnectAfrica Organization(DCA), which intends to manage and implement the ".africa" generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) if its application to ICANN early next year is successful, has stated that it would work closely with the continent's country code Top Level Domain registries to help enhance their uptake and use.

While attending the recent ICANN-42 meeting held in Dakar, Senegal from October 19 to 21, 2011, Ms Sophia Bekele, DCA Executive Director, invited ccTLDs to partner with DCA to enhance adoption and use of local internet domains.

Ms Bekele said that the partnership with African ccTLDs would ensure synergy of efforts in areas such as policy development, involvement of various local internet communities and chapters, sharing of technical expertise, capacity building, and cross-marketing at a local level and other areas of interest to make both .africa and the ccTLDs a success based on a resounding win-win outcome for everybody.

"As the commencement date of the application window for the new gTLDs draws closer, DCA once again extends an invitation to African ccTLD registries to join us and participate as stakeholders in our .africa initiative," said Ms Bekele.

The collaboration and partnership proposal with Africa's ccTLDs could see DCA working with managers of such domains as .ke for Kenya; .ng for Nigeria; .za for South Africa; .gh for Ghana; .eg for Egypt as well as South Sudan's recently awarded .ss domain.

The 42nd international meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), hosted by the Government of the Republic of Senegal and attended by government leaders, ICANN Board and staff and various stakeholders in the DNS industry, took place in Dakar, Senegal, at the Le Meridien President hotel.

DotConnectAfrica (DCA), one of the principal participants and silver-level sponsors of the ICANN42 meeting, was involved in various activities that took place throughout the week-long conference.

These included mounting a well-attended exhibition on DotAfrica, and its Yes2DotAfrica campaign, which was visited by the Senegalese President and Head of State, H.E. Monsieur Abdoulaye Wade, and the Senegalese Minister for Telecommunications and Information and Communications Technologies, Monsieur Moustapha Guirassy.

As part of its efforts to promote the ccTLDs, DCA has proposed a cross-marketing model that will see revenues from .africa reinvested in strengthening participating African ccTLDs and has invited more ccTLD managers interested in participating in the .africa initiative to submit their input on this issue and their expressions of interest before the application window opens in January 2012. Expressions of Interest (EOI) can be sent to EOI@dotconnectafrica.org.

DCA's expressed wish to work with Africa's ccTLDs reinforced the ICANN Dakar meeting's theme — the place of developing regions, particularly Africa, on the future of the Internet.

About DotConnectAfrica

DCA is a not-for-profit, non-partisan org incorporated in Mauritius Africa and will sponsor, establish and operate a TLD registry with global recognition and regional significance dedicated to the needs of Pan-African & African constituency. (Learn More)

Related topics: DNS, Domain Names, Registry Services, Top-Level Domains