Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) is exploring measures to make internet domain names more affordable and accessible to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), while strengthening security across the .ng domain space.
Adesola Akinsanya, president, NiRA, disclosed this in an interview in Lagos, saying the initiatives were aimed at encouraging more Nigerian businesses to establish strong digital identities using the .ng domain.
Akinsanya said NiRA was also seeking ways to make it easier and cheaper for businesses to register, renew and secure their domains.
Among the measures being considered are discounted bundle packages offered by NiRA-accredited registrars.
The packages could combine .com.ng domains with web hosting, one-page websites and other digital business tools. “These packages would provide small businesses with the basic resources required to establish an online presence,” Akinsanya said.
He said NiRA could also introduce SME domain vouchers for businesses accessing digital services through commerce partners and business associations.
Under the proposed arrangement, participating registrars would provide registration services, while NiRA would offer wholesale subsidies to reduce costs.
Akinsanya said the initiative could be implemented through partnerships with the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Bank of Industry and state-level SME agencies.
He also identified chambers of commerce and digital-skills programmes as potential partners.
Akinsanya said NiRA was examining additional measures to tackle domain squatting, where potentially valuable domain names are registered for resale or to prevent legitimate businesses from using them.
He said NiRA currently operates a structured process for resolving domain-name disputes, with formal complaints submitted to the Registry to facilitate communication between complainants and registrants.
Akinsanya also proposed a Brand or Trademark Notification Service to strengthen protection for registered brands.
Under the proposed system, verified trademark owners could register their trademarks through NiRA-accredited registrars and receive alerts whenever exact, similar or related brand names are registered across .ng namespaces.
He stressed, however, that the proposed notification system would not automatically give trademark owners ownership of disputed domains.
“The proposed notification system would not automatically give trademark owners ownership of disputed domains,” he said, adding that it would instead serve as an early-warning mechanism for identifying potentially problematic registrations.
On domain renewals, Akinsanya said NiRA already offered discounts for multi-year renewals covering periods of between two and five years.
He said the approach could lower costs compared with annual renewals while reducing domain losses caused by missed renewal deadlines.
He proposed targeted incentives, including early-renewal discounts for users who renew between 30 and 60 days before expiry. For qualifying SMEs, he suggested subsidised first-year registration, discounted second-year renewal and standard-rate third-year renewal.
NiRA could also strengthen the renewal system by requiring accredited registrars to send multiple reminders, he said.
“These reminders could be issued 60, 30, 14 and seven days before expiry, alongside expiry and grace-period notifications,” Akinsanya said.
Akinsanya identified cybersecurity as another major area of focus, noting that NiRA had already implemented DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC).
He explained that DNSSEC helps protect domains against certain forms of DNS manipulation and redirection to fraudulent or malicious websites.
He added that NiRA had conducted DNSSEC awareness and training programmes for accredited registrars.
“The next step could be to make DNSSEC adoption across the .ng domain space more measurable and widespread,” he said.
According to him, accredited registrars could educate new and existing domain owners about the benefits of using signed .ng domains. He also proposed bi-annual .ng DNSSEC adoption reports showing protection levels across critical domains and different sectors.
Akinsanya said NiRA operates an internal domain-abuse reporting tool for reporting cases involving the misuse of .ng domains. The tool, he said, provides data on domain abuse and supports faster intervention and resolution.
He further proposed stronger security requirements for accredited registrars, including mandatory multi-factor authentication, strong passwords, privileged-account controls and appropriate IP and device restrictions.
Other measures could include security logging, incident reporting, secure account recovery, domain-transfer safeguards and regular security audits.
Akinsanya said NiRA could also strengthen cybersecurity awareness by providing clearer guidance on protecting domains against unauthorised access and hijacking.
“Working with accredited registrars, the association could establish minimum security practices and customer-education requirements,” he said.
He added that the requirements would ensure that .ng domain owners received consistent information on how to secure their digital assets.
Akinsanya said the proposed measures could lower the barriers preventing small businesses from adopting .ng domains while improving trust, security and long-term sustainability within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem.
