NiRA @10: Domain Name & the Growth of Nigeria’s Digital Economy

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association, (NiRA) in its 10th year anniversary has continued to emphasize on leveraging .ng domain name as part of indices to galvanise the nation’s digital economy.

Historically, NiRA was established on 28th March 2006 when stakeholders within the Nigerian Internet Industry got together to adopt its constitution, under the stewardship of an Interim Board of Trustees (iBoT).

The iBoT thereafter conducted an election that day, and the Pioneer Board of Trustees (BoT) was elected, with Dr. Isaac Odeyemi as the Chairman of the BoT. The current Chair of the BoT is Deacon Chima Onyekwere, OON.

The BoT thereafter conducted elections for the Pioneer Executive Board (EBoD), with the late Engr Ndukwe Kalu being elected as the Pioneer President of NiRA.

The late Kalu was succeeded by Mrs Mary Uduma, the immediate Past President who completed her term of office in 2015.

The current President of NIRA is Reverend Sunday Folayan.

Meanwhile, the transfer of the appropriate management of the .ng National Resource was coordinated by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on behalf of the Federal government of Nigeria.

From inception, NiRA has been notable for broadening the scoop of digital economy which many presumed to imply the businesses conducted on the Internet.

In the 75th edition of the Association’s e-newsletter, Folayan identified that the digital economy is broader than this and represents the pervasive use of IT; hardware, software, applications and telecommunications, in all aspects of the economy, including internal operations of organizations: business, government and non-profit.

The Association rated domain name as one of the tools that have enhanced the growth of the digital economy.

“It has enhanced easy communication between the devices and the users. At the global scene, technology has become the major driving force for economic growth and the domain name system is one of the tools that have facilitated that growth.

“The digital economy, based on digital computing technologies, is developing in Nigeria. It is the single most important driver of innovation, competitiveness and growth, and it holds huge potential for Nigerian entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The full implementation of the National BroadBand Plan is projected to enhance the Nigerian digital economy. We envisage very soon that more Nigerian enterprises would take full advantage of the new digital opportunities”.

Main Components Of Digital Economy Growth
Speaking further on the concept, he acknowledged that “Government policy and regulation are amongst the various components of digital economy. Other components include the Internet, and infrastructure such as electricity, the telecommunication industry, digital service providers, e-business and e-commerce industry, information and knowledge management systems, intellectual property rights, human capital and knowledge workers, research and development, and emerging technologies”.

“Based on the list above,” the NiRA said, “Nigeria and other African countries have to improve on these identified economic growth drivers at the global scene. We need to develop our local contents and drive the contents with our local resources. We can achieve this with increased investment in the domain name industry. We need to appreciate and utilize our .ng brand to reduce capital flight, encourage application designers and developers, website designers and developers and local content management”.

Also, Mrs. Edith Udeagu, chief operating office of NiRA recalled that in recent years, the concept of a digital economy has branched outside the commerce aspect of buying and selling electronic products online.

“Today, the idea also includes the use of virtual processes as part of the on-going operation of companies, the internal workings of governments, and the fast and efficient execution of transactions between businesses. As technology continues to advance, the digital economy is likely to continue expanding as a greater range of goods and services are offered online (electronically), allowing consumers to fulfil their needs and wants at an accelerated rate.

“Given its expected broad impact, traditional firms are actively assessing how to respond to the changes brought about by the digital economy. For corporations, the timing of their response is of the essence. Banks are trying to innovate and use digital tools to improve their traditional business. Governments are investing in infrastructure and e-government,” the COO explained.

NiRA further warned that businesses that fail to get digitally connected might become excluded from the global market.

“We can state that in Nigeria, a .ng domain name is veritable to start to commence an online business. NiRA the managers of the .ng country code Top Level Domain for Nigeria, through its accredited registrars offer exciting names. You can register your preferred .ng domain name. For more information on NiRA and its activities, please visit our website www.nira.org.ng,” the Association urged Nigerians.