Lucky Masilela, CEO of ZACR

By MTHULISI SIBANDA
JOHANNESBURG – ZA Central Registry’s (ZACR) has opened a second round of applications for dotAfrica (.africa) domain names, following a positive response by Africa’s leading brands to apply for preferential access.
The second phase of the .africa Pioneer Programme opens on Thursday and will run until June 23 to enable business, civil society and other interested parties across the continent to apply for preferred access to approved .africa domains prior to General Availability.
The latter launch phase of the new .africa geographic Top Level Domain (gTLD) is when the general public can register .africa domains from July 4.
Lucky Masilela, CEO of ZACR, explained the Pioneer Programme was about creating interest in Africa’s domain name.
“This programme and the interest it generated in the public and private sector really surpassed all of our expectations. It is for this reason that we are reactivating the Pioneer Programme for the month of June,” said Masilela.
Masilela explained an approved .Africa domain name would enable individuals and organisations to showcase their brand and their commitment to the continent while establishing a home for Africa-specific products and services.
The new .africa gTLD enables the acquisition of valuable online real-estate in a fast-growing and high-potential market.
ZACR is a non-profit organisation currently managing various .za second level domains, such as co.za, net.za, org.za and web.za.

– Guardian