A roadshow will make its way through the African continent to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to launch the new dotAfrica (.africa) geographic Top Level Domain (gTLD) to the people of Africa.
The regions which will form part of the roadshow, representing the AU member states, will include East, West, North, and Southern Africa.
A highlight of the journey will be the Mount Kilimanjaro summit attempt by the .africa team who will be proudly carrying the .africa flag.
The roadshow culminates at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2018 at the Heads of State Summit where the .africa flag will be returned to its home. The .africa flag’s story began when it was officially handed over to the .africa team in the Nelson Mandela Plenary Hall at the AU Headquarters.
The flag handover orchestrated by the AU chairperson Alpha Condè to the chairperson of the AUC, Moussa Faki Mahamat who in turn handed it over to Lucky Masilela, CEO of Registry Africa and representing the .africa team signified the beginning of promoting the use of the .africa domain name in pursuit of African unity, peace and prosperity.
The roadshow will celebrate .africa as an example of Africans working together to achieve a common goal.
“Just as the eventual commercial launch of .africa was an example of Africans overcoming enormous odds in the quest to better their lives through a unique online identity, so too will the pan-African trek by the .africa team. This roadshow will again illustrate that nothing stands in the way of a united Africa” says Masilela.
Registry Africa is the administrator of the .africa gTLD. The roadshow is an opportunity to mobilise all people across the African continent to take ownership of the .africa domain name.
“The .africa roadshow is more than a marketing exercise. It signifies an end to the unwarranted delay in the delegation of .africa and the denial of the African people the right to their own digital identifier. Africa has finally prevailed and we plan to communicate this during this unparalleled continental roadshow,” Masilela says.
“We are extremely grateful to the AUC for its unwavering support throughout this long journey that began as far back as the OR Tambo and Abuja Declarations where it was resolved to use ICT to ensure the development of Africa. It is now time to create the next chapter in the .africa story as the general public begins contributing to Africa’s development each time they register a .africa domain name,” he concludes.
