Today, 4 July 2017, is the first day that the general public can register .africa (dotAfrica) geographic Top Level Domains (gTLDs).
“The floodgates have finally been thrown open and .africa domains are now available for registration on a first-come, first-served basis,” says Lucky Masilela, currently in Addis Ababa for the 29th AU Summit. The .africa gTLD enjoys the support of the African Union Commission (AUC) and an overwhelming majority of African governments.
During the Sunrise Phase of the .africa launch, registered trademark owners were allowed to apply for .africa domain names. The second launch phase, Landrush, saw brand owners, businesses and the general public registering premium domains under the .africa gTLD.
“The long wait to General Availability has now come to an end. Africa’s new home on the Internet is now available for occupation,” says Masilela.
The new .africa gTLD enables the acquisition of valuable online real-estate in a fast-growing and high-potential market. It also enables individuals and organisations to showcase their brands while establishing a home for Africa-specific products and services.
African countries are now united under a single, continent-wide domain name. “Initiatives like .africa help harness the power of new technologies to solve old problems and grow value for the continent through the .africa Foundation,” says Masilela.
“.africa is unique in that it gives Africans that important sense of pride and identity at the same time motivates them to achieve the very best for their continent and themselves.
“ZACR petitions all Africans in particular and the world at large to take ownership of .africa during General Availability as this new domain truly belongs to us all.”
Anyone can register .africa domains through Registrars listed here: http://registry.africa/registrars/
For more information on General Availability, visit http://www.registry.africa
