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Roadshow Planned To Create Awareness Of New DotAfrica Internet Domain

Roadshow Planned To Create Awareness Of New DotAfrica Internet Domain

A continental roadshow has been planned in order to create awareness of the new DotAfrica top-level internet domain.

The roadshow, which will begin early in the new year, will start off in Botwana and pass through numerous African countries in order to spread the word about DotAfrica, ending at the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, according to ITWebAfrica.

Lucky Masilela, CEO of the ZA Central Registry, which administers the domain, explained the importance of the roadshow and the route that will be followed in celebrating the existence of the African top-level domain.

“The roadshow is more than just a marketing exercise. It signifies an end to unwarranted delay in the delegation of the domain, as well as the denial of African people the right to their own digital identifier,” Masilela said, according to HTXT.

“Our journey will begin on Jan. 4, when we will go to Francistown (Botswana), Bulawayo (Zimbabwe), Lusaka (Zambia) and then begin the climb in the Marangu Route,” he said.

“We will be meeting various Internet communities in these countries for active dialogue and trying to find workable solutions. The highlight of the journey will be the Mount Kilimanjaro summit attempt by a team which will be carrying the .africa flag,” he added.

In a study concluded by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) before the official launch of the DotAfrica top-level domain name, the total annual value of the African domain name market was determined to be worth $52 million, according to DailyNation.

Roadshow to create awareness of fully endorsed initiative

The dotAfrica initiative is fully endorsed by the African Union Commission (AUC) and has great support across the continent, with African governments, the business sector, civil society and the technical community all expressing their pleasure at the availability of the new top-level domain.

The dotAfrica top-level internet domain has attracted over 10,000 registrations since its launch in July this year, displaying a popularity for the domain among businesses, organisations and individuals, according to CajnewsAfrica.

The planned roadshow will aim to add to that interest, making more people aware of the existence of the DotAfrica domain.

The domain experienced heavy initial interest, which placed it in the top 10 worldwide for the number of domain name reservations during the sunrise phase of a launch process, according to TechCentral.

DotAfrica recorded 981 domain registrations by trademark-holders and other intellectual property (IP) rights-holders over the 60 days from April 4.

The ZA Central Registry monitored interest from intellectual property owners that submitted marks through the global Trade Mark Clearing House as well as the ZA Central Registry’s own Mark Validation System, as is normal practice with regards to registries.

The success of the DotAfrica roadshow in its quest to create awareness can be followed via the initiative’s website, FollowTheFlag.