dotAfrica

by TINTSWALO BALOYI 
JOHANNESBURG – THE .africa (dotAfrica) geographic Top Level Domain (gTLD), the continent’s home on the worldwide web, has been hailed as one of the major achievements in the wake of Africa Day celebrations.

It is commemorated annually on May 25.

Africa Day is intended to celebrate and acknowledge the successes of the African Union in the fight against colonialism and apartheid, as well as the progress Africa has made.

“Africans can be justly proud of the many uniting achievements we’ve clocked up together since the 1963 founding of the OAU,” said Lucky Masilela, Chief Executive Officer of Registry Africa.

Registry Africa is the administrator of .africa.

Masilela said in particular, it was African collaboration in the form of the 2009 OR Tambo Declaration, followed by the Abuja Declaration, that gave impetus to the launch of .africa.

Some 54 countries in Africa are now united under a single, continent-wide domain name that Registry Africa stays true to the vision of the outstanding African leaders who recognised through the above two declarations that ICT-based initiatives would be central to Africa’s future wellbeing.

Masilela said information powered the fourth industrial revolution brought about by the seamless and rapid access to information that the worldwide web provides.

“DotAfrica means that Africans can fully participate in this new age revolution,” he said.

The AU Commission has endorsed the .dotafrica.

It enjoys support from the International Telecommunications Union among others.

– CAJ News