E-Business
Nigeria Ranks Second as Africa Domain Name Registrations Hit 4.33m
In the latest study commissioned by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in collaboration with PowerSoft Africa, Nigeria moved up to second place in the Africa Domain Name Industry.
L-R:Dr. Bosun Tijani, minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy; Kashifu Inuwa, director general, National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), and Adesola Akinsanya, president, Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA)
Similarly, African country code Top-level Domains report shows 4.33million registrations as of November 2023 and additional 1.4 million generic top level domain registrations from African entities.
Covering 54 countries in Africa, the ICANN report released by the Coalition for Digital Africa at ICANN80 in Kigali, Rwanda, shows that high Internet access costs continue to limit widespread usage, with the average African spending about 4% of their monthly income on 1GB of data – twice the global affordability target.
Also, the projected average annual overall growth in the number of domain names across the continent is 12.4%, suggesting significant opportunities for local providers in individual country.
On infrastructure, the report indicates Over 1.1 million kilometres of terrestrial and submarine fiber cables interconnect the continent, enhancing cross-border communications and internet access, and a significant concentration of web content and domain hosting remains within only a few countries, underscoring the need for more localized Internet service.
For Nigeria, the report shows that “as with South Africa and Kenya, Nigeria has multiple undersea cables. The ccTLD is well run as there are now six IXPs and multiple Data Centres.
“Nigeria’s biggest advantage is its huge population and large economy. Nigeria has the highest number of Internet users on the continent. Coming in just after Kenya on the number of ccTLD domains but ahead on gTLD domains, Nigeria also has a high score from its six IXPs.
Speaking at the unveiling of the report, Sally Costerton, ICANN’s Interim President & CEO, said that report that sheds light on the growth, challenges, and opportunities within the Domain Name System (DNS) across Africa.
“Building on the initial study conducted in 2016, this study provides critical insights into how the landscape has evolved and where it is headed.
The study is an integral part of ICANN’s commitment to support the growth and development of the Internet’s infrastructure, namely the DNS infrastructure, in a highly dynamic region.
It was also created in response to a request from the African community within the context of the implementation of the ICANN Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years 2021-2025”.
She said that the recommendations focus on key areas such as infrastructure development, regulatory adjustments, and capacity building, which are crucial for harnessing the full potential of the DNS industry in Africa.
According to recent NiRA report, the .ng domain name, Nigeria’s Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD), has crossed 215,000 registrations.
Commenting on the report, Mr. Adesola Akinsanya, President of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), expressed delight on Nigeria’s domain name growth trajectory.
According to him, the report is a reflection of NiRA and other stakeholders’ efforts, particularly, the registrars, towards deepening the country’s DNS industry.
In his words, “the study that was done regarding the DNS industry in Africa and I am privy to the first edition in which Nigeria was not even in the top three. Today, we are number two in Africa. It shows that the efforts of NiRA, both past and present EBoD and the secretariat staff, alongside the registrars, our efforts are making impacts.
“The study also shows the commitment of the registry in making sure that the best practices in the DNS industry are followed.
“Secondly, this is a continental rating; we are not the ones praising ourselves. The message we (NiRA) has for the DNS community in Nigeria is that we do not have any other country. So, .NG is our collective passport in the digital space. From businesses, web developer community, registrars, businesses and individuals adopting .NG, we salute your efforts.
“We can do more, because we are not the first yet. There are lots of grounds to cover. So, let’s push for more adoption of the .NG while we tackle all necessary challenges on the way”, Akinsanya said.
Murtala Abdullahi, the CEO of Smartweb Nigeria Limited, one of the NiRA registrars, said the report shows increased acceptability of the .NG brand.
He added that the country is privileged to have huge population with a lot of individuals and businesses showing interest in the .NG domain name.
“Two years back, we have people adopting more of .com.ng, but today they are converting to .NG. We register more of the .ng than even the .com.
“So, people are now beginning to understand the value of the .ng in terms of the optimization, SEO and other things.
“And another factor is the exchange rate. So, it helps to boost the adoption of .ng, because in terms of price competitiveness, .com is around N20,000 while .ng is below N15,000.
On his part, Sir Remmy Nweke, the Lead Consulting Strategist, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, and a leading voice in .NG advocacies, said he was glad that efforts of both NiRA BOT and the EBoD is paying-off, stressing the need for more vanguards for the .NG adoption in the country.
He said, “I’m excited in the sense that despite that, we’re not there yet, we’re making steady progress. So, it is a way of encouragement that the study came out positively for us. And I’m sure we will continue to collaborate to make sure that whatever is being done is on progressive line to make sure that even if it is next year, or in the next few years that we’re going to conduct this exercise again, there must be improvements on our internet adoption, local hosting and other variables.
“In general, .ng is our brand. So, every Nigerian is expected to buy into this dream. Get at least one domain for yourself. And then when you use it, always make time to share the stories of how you are using it. If you have issues, please report back to us (NiRA) so that it will be resolved”.
According to the report, Google indexes a total of 44.3 million web pages under the .NG domain, significantly up from 16 million, in the year under review.
Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) is in Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and needs urgent reforms to revive it, according to Isaac Kekemeke, board chairman of the service.
Kekemeke, who spoke at a workshop organised for NIPOST staff in Abuja yesterday, added that it is now time to go the whole hog to reform and make NIPOST fulfill its destiny to compare and compete favourably with multinational postal agencies.
“The approach may not be palatable at all times but we need to take the tough but necessary decisions to exit the intensive care unit. We are either out of ICU in good health or head for the morgue. NIPOST either functions effectively now as a commercialised state operator or gets privatised, so that myself, the PMG, and a good number of you risk the loss of our jobs,” the chairman said.
No doubt, he added, “Change is not always easy as many loathe change because of the uncertainty it brings but it is in my place to urge you all to embrace the change we advocate.”
The Internet Society’s six-month Fellowship Peering program continues to help make internet access affordable, dependable, and resilient. The program, according to the global charitable organisation, is targeted for fifteen professionals in the peering and interconnection sector.
“It offers a unique opportunity to build the skills, knowledge, and networks necessary to improve local Internet infrastructure and policy,” according to the site’s description.
The fellowship participants will participate in a comprehensive curriculum that includes virtual training sessions, collaborative forums, and technical and advocacy-based instruction on routing, Internet Exchange Points, and policy.
The fellowship culminates in attendance at a global peering event, which provides direct experience and networking opportunities with important voices in the Internet community.
The fellowship enhances participants’ impact in their particular nations by developing engagement with seasoned professionals and boosting regional and global collaboration. The program invites fellows to return to their communities prepared to expand interconnectivity, improve policy conditions, and make a meaningful contribution to the development of the Internet ecosystem.
Applicants must have at least three years of Internet experience and be based in Latin America and the Caribbean, Africa, or Asia-Pacific.
Eligibility also required proper travel documentation and availability to attend important events such as African Peering and Interconnection Forum, Latin American and Caribbean Network Operators Forum, or Peering Asia, as well as a commitment of roughly four hours per week over six months.
Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has called for the withdrawal of the amendment of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 because it seeks to regulate the activities of bloggers operating within the territorial boundaries of Nigeria.
The organisation in its letter urged Mr Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, and Mr Tajudeen Abbas, Speaker of the House of Representatives, to “immediately withdraw the repressive bill.”
The titled A Bill for an Act to Amend the Nigeria Data Protection Act, 2023, to Mandate the Establishment of Physical Offices within the Territorial Boundaries of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by Social Media Platforms and for Related Matters among others intends to regulate bloggers, including by requiring all bloggers to register local offices and join recognised national association for bloggers.
Currently, the bill has passed its first and second reading in the Senate.
In the letter signed its deputy director, Mr Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP asked Mr Akpabio and Mr Abbas “to ensure that any amendment to the Nigeria Data Protection Act promotes and protects the rights of bloggers and other journalists and does not undermine the fundamental human rights of Nigerians.”
It demanded an end to “the imposition of unnecessary restrictions on the rights of Nigerians online and Internet-based content.”
In the letter dated April 12, 2025, the group said, “This bill is a blatant attempt to bring back and fast-track the obnoxious and widely rejected social media bill by the back-door.”
“If passed, the bill would also be used to ban major social media platforms—including Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, and independent bloggers if they ‘continuously fail to establish/register and maintain physical offices in Nigeria for a period of 30 days.
“Lawmakers should not become arbiters of truth in the public and political domain. Regulating the activities of bloggers and forcing them to associate would have a significant chilling effect on freedom of expression and lead to censorship or restraint.
“Should the National Assembly and its leadership fail to withdraw the bill to regulate the activities of bloggers, and should any such bill be assented to by President Bola Tinubu, SERAP would consider appropriate legal action to challenge the legality of any such law and ensure it is never implemented in the public interest,” the organisation warned.
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