The African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) in collaboration with the Africa Network Operators Group (AfNOG) have proudly concluded their first virtual conference (AIS’20). The event took place virtually from 14 to 18 September 2020 and was attended by over 500 delegates.
The Domain Name System (DNS) is one of the most critical services for the daily functioning of the Internet. It allows names to be resolved into IP addresses and vice versa through a hierarchical system of distributed servers. As a prelude to the DNS Flag day 2020, a study was conducted to assess the EDNS and TCP readiness level of authoritative DNS servers (Name Server - NS) on reverse zones of IP addresses allocated by AFRINIC to its members and authoritative servers of African ccTLD domains. Such a study makes it possible to assess the level of DNS compliance in Africa with good practices related to EDNS, but also to highlight various related aspects of good practices and DNS standards such as location, geographic distribution, resilience, and IPv6 accessibility or reachability of these authoritative servers.
We are pleased to inform you that we are in the final leg of developing AFRINIC’s Strategic Plan 2021-2023. Please see the final draft here (https://afrinic.net/strategy#2021-2023).
Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to inform you that we are in the final leg of developing AFRINIC’s Strategic Plan 2021-2023. Please see the final draft here (https://afrinic.net/strategy#2021-2023).
The process has been participatory and inclusive. We are still looking for feedback and would appreciate your input as we strive to finalize the document by the end of September 2020. You may send any feedback on its current form via CEO at afrinic.net.
We are also planning a public online session on Wednesday, 23 September 2020, at 12.30UTC (4.30 pm Mauritius time), during which we provide further feedback to enrich the document. You may register for the meeting here (https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-0NFuW5-TGebZo6dGpIjFQ).
Your active participation in the Strategic Plan development process will contribute to both the success of AFRINIC and the development of a secure and accessible Internet in Africa.
We appreciate your continued support in the development of the Strategic Plan and look forward to engaging further on Wednesday.
Yours sincerely,
Eddy Kayihura
CEO
AIS’20 Online is approaching fast. AIS staff is currently busy with the preparations for the first virtual Africa Internet Summit conference to be held from 14 to 18 September 2020 at 0900-1300 UTC. AIS’20 Online registration closed on 6 September and recorded more than 690 participants registered on our platform.
Prior to the meeting proper, we have planned the Newcomers Session on 11 September 2020 at 0900-1300 UTC. This is a session for delegates attending the meeting for the first time. The session will provide updates from AFRINIC, the services the organisation offers, the Internet ecosystem, the African Internet community, Internet number resources management, policy development, some current initiatives like AFRINIC’s fellowship programme. ISOC and ICANN have also been invited to participate and will also present on their activities.
A lot is lined up during AFNOG Day on 14 September. Andrew Sullivan, CEO and President Internet Society will give the Goodwill message during the Opening. This will be followed by a very interesting panel on 50 Years of the Internet. The session will also have former ICANN Board Chair and Author RFC-1, Steve Crocker, and Prof. Nii Quaynor. The session will be moderated by Adiel Akplogan, the former CEO of AFRINIC and currently the Vice President for Technical Engagement at ICANN. This will be followed by updates by regional NOGs. Simon Mayoye, Christian Nzhie, Edem Kobla Nunekpeku, Isabela Odida and Sara Alamin will give the updates.
This session will be followed by a technical panel moderated by Alan Barrett. Sara Armstrong from ISOC will be presenting on The Internet Society Foundation: Overview and new Programs of interest to Africa. There will also be a presentation on Internet Measurement by Mat Ford and David Belson of ISOC, Cloud Africa by Danny Afahounko and LDPv6 In The Real World by Mark Tinka.
Alain Aina will close the day with a panel discussion on the Future of AfNOG.
Organisations constituting the African Internet ecosystem or the AF* will provide updates to delegates on their activities on 15 September.
The history of these institutions will also be highlighted by Pierre Dandjinou after which there will be an open interaction with the community moderated by Alain Aina.
Policy discussions will take place on 16 and 17 September. Among others, policy proposals will be discussed. These include:
The last day of the AGMM will begin with a Board Community Engagement session followed by AFRINIC General Members Meeting.
AFRINIC will hold several elections namely for the Policy Development Working Group co-chair, NRO/NC ASO AC, Governance Committee and Board positions.
AIS'20 will be streamed live on the AFRINIC YouTube and Facebook channels. Be sure to follow and subscribe: youtube.com/afrinicmedia
We look forward to welcoming you to AIS’20 Online.
"The beating heart of this community is our continued dialogue: an open, respectful discussion on matters of importance to the African Internet community. Our strength comes from the range of experience, views and knowledge that all participants bring to the table. The code of conduct is there to safeguard not only the individuals involved in policy discussions and the staff that implement these policies but also the consensus-based policy development process itself." Eddy Kayihura, AFRINIC Chief Executive Officer
The Regional Internet Registry (RIR) system is a successful model of industry self-regulation that is open to all interested parties. The process for developing Internet Number Resource related policies utilises open, public meetings and mailing lists. As such, the policy development process used in the RIR system is inclusive, transparent and accountable.
The policies developed under this rough consensus-based model are implemented by the relevant RIR. These policies are what dictate the operations of the RIRs and can only be amended through the same process. Constant feedback from the community via publicly available channels is key for the system to maintain its openness, inclusiveness and transparency. The RIRs receive feedback and input from the community and their members via a number of mailing lists. Members are also responsible for choosing their respective Executive Board through regular elections.
The open, inclusive and transparent RIR model has been the bedrock for the success of the Internet both in Africa and throughout the world. It has enabled the technical community to coordinate the development of the networks, technologies and processes upon which the Internet is built. At the same time, it enables the active participation of both public and private sector bodies, as well as civil society.
But for such a model to function effectively, there are certain safeguards upon which all RIR communities have agreed. One such safeguard is the code of conduct, which ensures that discussions are kept professional and that individuals are protected against defamatory, derogatory and personal attack.
As with the other RIRs, AFRINIC has a code of conduct that specifies the processes for dealing with situations that occur during discussions at public meetings, in the Resource Policy Development (RDP) Process and on all the other mailing lists.
The Co-chairs of the AFRINIC Policy Development Working Group (PDWG) is responsible for enforcing the code of conduct on the community’s Resource Policy Development (RPD) list. They can be contacted regarding any suspected breach of conduct. If they deem such a breach has occurred, they are then responsible for taking appropriate action. This may include the individual who broke the code of conduct being ejected from a meeting or unsubscribed from the RPD mailing list.
The other community and member lists are the responsibility of the AFRINIC CEO or staff designated by the CEO. If a complaint is made about a possible breach of conduct, AFRINIC can take the appropriate action including referring the complaint to the Governance Committee. Under its Terms of Reference, the Governance Committee can examine any matter referred to it by AFRINIC and can advise accordingly.
The role of the Governance Committee is to advise the AFRINIC Board, the Membership, and the community on governance matters. The voting members of the Governance Committee and the AFRINIC Board themselves are periodically elected by the AFRINIC members. This ensures that the bodies responsible for matters of governance, including the code of conduct, are not only accountable to the AFRINIC members but are also selected by the members themselves.
The Governance Committee was first requested by the community in 2014 and has been formally established since 2016. On 31st August 2020, AFRINIC referred a possible breach of conduct to the Governance Committee concerning mails sent to the community mailing list.[https://afrinic.net/govcom/request#GC2020.04]
The beating heart of this community is our continued dialogue: an open, respectful discussion on matters of importance to the African Internet community. Our strength comes from the range of experience, views and knowledge that all participants bring to the table. The code of conduct is there to safeguard not only the individuals involved in policy discussions and the staff that implement these policies but also the consensus-based policy development process itself. This is a process that, as we have seen throughout the global Internet community, has made the Internet the success that it is today.
The AFRINIC staff implement the policies developed by the community and deliver a range of critical services to the membership. Working as a neutral party in close cooperation with the community and the members, the AFRINIC staff fulfil a role that is essential to the continued development of a secure and stable Internet in the region. AFRINIC holds its staff accountable to the highest levels of professional integrity and offers them the strongest support in the community-driven work that they do. In the event they are subject to abuse or unsubstantiated accusations, AFRINIC staff receive the full support of the organisation to the full extent of the law.
The RIRs regularly review and update their codes of conduct to ensure that they are fit for purpose. As such, the AFRINIC CEO has referred to the current AFRINIC code of conduct to the Governance Committee to determine if any updates are needed [https://afrinic.net/govcom/request#GC2020.05]. This process is entirely transparent with the Governance Committee’s specific recommendations published for discussion by AFRINIC’s membership and the community.
Are you an executive, manager or policymaker who wants to:
Then this unique virtual course is for you. Together with our partners, we’ve trained about 10,000 engineers from almost every country on this continent. But in 2016, when we asked them why they had not initiated or deployed IPv6, the number two reason was “management”.
"We are pleased to inform you that the Registration for the Elections of PDP Co-Chair and NRO NC opens today and closes at 19:59 UTC on 6 September 2020." Election Committee
Dear colleagues,
We are pleased to inform you that the Registration for the Elections of PDP Co-Chair and NRO NC opens today and closes at 19:59 UTC on 6 September 2020.
Voters who fulfil the criteria, as laid down in the Election Process 2020 available at <https://afrinic.net/election-process> under Section 5.1b and 5.1.c will soon receive further information from the Election Committee on the how-to-vote and access the voting interface. For any queries, please contact us on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
You may view the profiles of the of PDP Co-Chair at <https://afrinic.net/election-process/pdwg-election-candidate-2020>, and NRO NC elections at <https://afrinic.net/election-process/nro-nc-election-candidate-2020>.
Sincerely,
For and on behalf of the Election Committee
