March 2026 - AFRI-Discuss - lists.icann.org

[AFRALO Secretariat] - ICANN85 Readout ****TOMORROW****
by Hervé Hounzandji April 2, 2026

April 2, 2026

Dear all, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to everyone who has expressed their willingness to share their ICANN85 key takeaways, insights, and suggested actions based on the sessions they participated in. Your engagement means a great deal to the community, and it is truly appreciated. To ensure a balanced and well-structured agenda, we will accommodate *up to 3 presentations/readouts*, with a *total allocated time of 30 minutes*. For those who are not selected for tomorrow's session, please note that we are considering organizing an *additional session* to give everyone the opportunity to share their contributions. So far, we have received expressions of interest from our following family members: - Gbemisola Esho - Olabimpe Adeloro - Christabel Mebaghandu - Ibrahim Elijah - Asteway Negash - Ekwualor Naomi As this will be on a *first come, first served* basis, the floor tomorrow will be given to: - Gbemisola Esho - Olabimpe Adeloro - Christabel Mebaghandu Please send your presentation (pdf) to the staff before the call. We very much look forward to hearing from you tomorrow! Warm regards, -- Hervé HOUNZANDJI AFRALO Secretary

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TODAY ** REGISTER ** | EURALO Round Table: EURALO Round Table: A new round of gTLD | Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at 18:00 UTC
by ICANN At-Large Staff March 31, 2026

March 31, 2026

[cid:image001.jpg@01DCC0FE.D1AB8FA0] Interpretation provided in English, Spanish & French. ** Please register and share this invitation ** Zoom registration required: https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/vl71I3CEQoq9ktQy4zsOMQ Dear All, On behalf of Frederic Taes, EURALO Chair and Natalia Filina, EURALO Secretary, please join us for an EURALO Round Table on A new round of gTLDs: End User’s Perspectives on Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at 18:00 UTC for 90 minutes. The roundtable discussion will address the following topics related to the new round, which has a direct impact on updating the domain space for end users: intellectual property and its specifics; improvements in the user experience; business approach and influence to the TLD market, readiness of infrastructure, how the expanded matrix of domain zones will be integrated with the accessibility and security of domain names for users, as well as for small and medium-sized businesses. The agenda and call details are available at: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AYA_Og Interpretation provided in English, Spanish & French. Zoom registration required: https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/vl71I3CEQoq9ktQy4zsOMQ Important: please keep note of the zoom room as you will be sent an unique link. Thank you. Kind regards, At-Large Staff ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org>

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[AFRALO Secretariat] AFRALO April Monthly Call & ICANN85 Readout / Appel mensuel AFRALO d’avril & Compte rendu ICANN85
by Hervé Hounzandji March 30, 2026

March 30, 2026

Dear Members, I hope this message finds you well. As you are aware, our AFRALO monthly call for April will take place on *1st April*. As part of the agenda, we will include an *ICANN85 Readout*. We warmly invite all fellows and members who attended the meeting—whether in person or virtually—to share their key takeaways, insights, and any suggested actions based on the sessions they participated in. To ensure a balanced agenda, we will accommodate up to *four presentations/readouts*, with a total allocated time of *30 minutes*. Should there be additional interest, we will consider organizing an additional session. We look forward to your active participation. Warm regards, -- Chers membres, J’espère que vous allez bien. Comme vous le savez, notre appel mensuel d'AFRALO du mois d’avril se tiendra le *1er avril*. Dans le cadre de l’ordre du jour, nous inclurons un *compte rendu de l’ICANN85*. Nous invitons chaleureusement tous les fellows et membres ayant participé à cette réunion — en présentiel ou à distance — à partager leurs principaux enseignements, ainsi que toute recommandation d’actions en lien avec les sessions auxquelles ils ont assisté. Afin de garantir un agenda équilibré, nous prévoyons jusqu’à *quatre présentations/comptes rendus*, pour une durée totale de *30 minutes*. En cas de forte demande, nous envisagerons l’organisation d’une session supplémentaire. Nous comptons sur votre participation active. Cordialement, -- Hervé HOUNZANDJI

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** REGISTER ** | EURALO Round Table: EURALO Round Table: A new round of gTLD | Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at 18:00 UTC
by ICANN At-Large Staff March 29, 2026

March 29, 2026

[cid:image001.jpg@01DCBD17.47E06CE0] Interpretation provided in English, Spanish & French. ** Please register and share this invitation ** Zoom registration required: https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/vl71I3CEQoq9ktQy4zsOMQ Dear All, On behalf of Frederic Taes, EURALO Chair and Natalia Filina, EURALO Secretary, please join us for an EURALO Round Table on A new round of gTLDs: End User’s Perspectives on Tuesday, 31 March 2026 at 18:00 UTC for 90 minutes. The roundtable discussion will address the following topics related to the new round, which has a direct impact on updating the domain space for end users: intellectual property and its specifics; improvements in the user experience; business approach and influence to the TLD market, readiness of infrastructure, how the expanded matrix of domain zones will be integrated with the accessibility and security of domain names for users, as well as for small and medium-sized businesses. The agenda and call details are available at: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/AYA_Og Interpretation provided in English, Spanish & French. Zoom registration required: https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/vl71I3CEQoq9ktQy4zsOMQ Important: please keep note of the zoom room as you will be sent an unique link. Thank you. Kind regards, At-Large Staff ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community www.icann.org<http://www.icann.org>

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Re: Applicants AAG
by Peters Omoragbon March 29, 2026

March 29, 2026

ATTENTION: Dear AFRALO Family, The following underlisted members of AFRALO met the deadline for expressing interest to be members of the AFRALO ADVISORY GROUP as at March 13, 2026. In line with the adopted working concept for the AAG, it will be appreciated if each would do a Three Sentence statement detailing meeting the criteria set out as follows: found in the Appendix below. Composition: the number of members is not limited. The AAG could comprise (but is not limited to): - All past elected officers of AFRALO - Any interested WG head (past or present) - Individual members Representative - Any ALS primary or secondary contact who has been with AFRALO for at least 5 year Please, your response should be sent to: petersomoragbon(a)gmail.com, herve.hounzandji(a)gmail.com, helminiawi(a)gmail.com Considering that at the next AFRALO Teleconference, members meeting the criteria would be announced and the leadership would decide the inauguration of the AAG, your response should be received by March 30, 2026. Please, treat this request as urgent and important. Michel TCHONANG LINZE Dave Kissoondoyal Stephen nana Owusu-Addae Abdou Mfopa Ibrahim Saad Ibrahim DANIEL NANGHAKA hadia Elminiawi Mawuko Kudzo Kpatah Joy Amanda Adebunmi Akinbo DANIEL NANGHAKA Bukola Oronti Jacob Odame-Baiden Isaac Maposa Maureen Owusu-Addae Fatimata Seye Sylla Olabimpe Adeloro Remmy Nweke BABA DABALA Amara Yours sincerely For: AAG *Pastor Peters Osawaru OMORAGBON* *-Executive President/CEO Nurses Across the Borders Humanitarian Initiative-(an NGO in Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations-ECOSOC)* *-First Nigerian United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Designated Contact Person-since 2004* *-**Permanent United Nations Representative for Nurses Across the Borders-since 2005* *-Director for International Liaison, Nigerian Nurses Charitable Association, United Kingdom-NNCA-UK).* *-President, Diaspora Nurses Association of Nigeria-DNAN* *-Fellow Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers-ICANN-Since 2010* *-Fellow Federal University of Petroleum Resources Centre for Sustainable Development (FUPRECSD)* *-**Fellow, Open Society Institute-Budapest* *-**General Secretary, Civil Society Network of NGOs on Climate Change* *-Board Member-Conference of NGOS in Special Consultative Status with the United Nations-CONGO* *-Member Steering Committee Regional Committee for Africa-CONGO* *-Fellow Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers-ICANN* *-Treasurer-Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom-CANUK 2013-2015* *-Financial Secretary, Central Association of Nigerians in the United Kingdom-CANUK 2015-2017.* *Url: www.nursesacrosstheborders.org <http://www.nursesacrosstheborders.org/>, * On Mon, 2 Mar 2026 at 11:03, Hervé Hounzandji <herve.hounzandji(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Dear Peters, > > So far, we have received the following applications for AAG. > > Please let me know how you would like to proceed. > > The deadline is March 13. > > Best regards, > > Michel TCHONANG LINZE > Dave Kissoondoyal > Stephen nana Owusu-Addae > Abdou Mfopa > Ibrahim Saad Ibrahim > DANIEL NANGHAKA > hadia Elminiawi > Mawuko Kudzo Kpatah > Joy Amanda > Adebunmi Akinbo > DANIEL NANGHAKA > Bukola Oronti > Jacob Odame-Baiden > Isaac Maposa > Maureen Owusu-Addae > Fatimata Seye Sylla > Olabimpe Adeloro > Remmy Nweke > BABA DABALA Amara > Hervé Hounzandji > > -- > Hervé HOUNZANDJI >

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Introduction - New Member
by fataiadekale＠gmail.com March 27, 2026

March 27, 2026

Dear Members, Good day everyone. My name is Abdulfatai Dare Adekale, and I am honored to join this community. I am a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Engineering at Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, where I teach courses in computer networks, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and Internet technologies. I am also an active member of the Internet Society (ISOC) and the Global Internet Governance Academic Network (GigaNet), with interests in Internet governance, digital inclusion, cybersecurity awareness, and capacity building. Through my academic and professional work, I regularly engage with students, young professionals, and community members to promote digital literacy, safe Internet usage, and responsible online behavior. My goal is to contribute to initiatives that strengthen African end-user participation in Internet governance processes, support capacity development initiatives, and advocate for secure, affordable, and inclusive Internet access across the region. I look forward to learning from the experiences of fellow members and contributing meaningfully to community activities and discussions. Thank you. Kind regards, Abdulfatai Dare Adekale

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Updated: From Transition to Action: Our Roadmap for the African End-User.
by Adebunmi Akinbo March 26, 2026

March 26, 2026

Dear AFRALO At-Large Structures and Community Members, It was an honor to stand with many of you at ICANN84 meeting. Taking over the mantle on that final day from an Amazon and colleague was not just a formal transition for me; it was a firsthand reminder of the energy, talent, and untapped potential within our African delegation. As I formally begin my term as your ALAC Representative, I am not here to simply occupy a seat. I am here to ensure that the African voice is not just heard, but is decisive. The decisions we make today regarding the success of the New gTLD Next Round, Universal Acceptance (UA), and DNS Security will define the digital landscape of our continent for the next decade. - Our Strategic Pillars for Digital Dignity. To move from "being present" to leading the conversation, I am asking every ALS to align with these three pillars over the next 20 months: 1. High-Impact Participation: Being on the list is no longer the benchmark. I challenge every ALS to contribute to at least two ICANN Public Comment proceedings per year. We must translate our local challenges into global policy. 2. Linguistic Sovereignty (UA): An internet that doesn’t speak our languages is an internet that excludes our people. We will move beyond awareness and into advocacy, engaging local developers and registrars to ensure African scripts and IDNs are fully functional. 3. Defending the Multistakeholder Model: We are the bridge between technical policy and grassroots impact. We must educate our local governments on why a bottom-up, unified internet is the only way to safeguard Africa’s digital sovereignty. - The First Step: Intelligence from the Field. I refuse to represent you in a vacuum. To be your advocate in the ALAC, I need your ground-truth data. What are the specific barriers in your region? Is it the rising cost of domain registration? A surge in DNS-based scams? Or perhaps a lack of technical capacity for local hosting? "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." — Let’s go far, together. Immediate Action Items. - The "Top Two" Challenge: Reply to this email with the two most pressing internet governance issues currently impacting your specific country or region. - Join the Policy Roadmap Session: Our next monthly call (after ICANN85) will be a deep dive into the upcoming ICANN milestones. We will simplify the ICANN "alphabet soup" of policy so we can focus on the impact. Kudos to our AfRALO Chair. - Empower the Next Generation: If your ALS does not have a designated Youth Liaison, please nominate a young leader this month to join our regional capacity-building initiatives. I am energized by the trust in a strong ICANN Africa. Let’s make the most impactful era in AFRALO’s history, together. In solidarity, Dr. Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo ICANN ALAC Representative for Africa (2025–2027).

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REGISTER / APRALO Policy Forum Webinar Series on A Multilingual Internet: Webinar #2: "Multilingual Domain Names" on Thursday, 26 March 2026 at 06:00 UTC
by ICANN At-Large Staff March 25, 2026

March 25, 2026

[95DPtCAAAABklEQVQDAP2XBkAatO13AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC] The APRALO Policy Forum is delighted to present the second of the series of 3 webinars to introduce ICANN’s goal for a “Multilingual Internet” and its engagement of relevant stakeholders to deliver this goal. You are invited to Webinar #2: Multilingual Domain Names on 26 March 2026 at 06:00 UTC for 75 minutes, where Satish Babu will host Pitinan Kooarmornpatana, IDN Programs Director, ICANN in an introduction to IDN related policies and their implementation for enabling secure and stable use of IDNs under both gTLDs and ccTLDs. If you are unfamiliar with the ICANN IDN Program, IDN related policies and wonder how these and you can contribute to making the Internet truly multilingual, then join us and get your answers! Don't forget to pre-register your participation! And if you have any, please let us have your questions on this topic by posting them as comments to this wiki page below; or if you prefer, submit them by emailing staff at staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> For other times: https://tinyurl.com/5y7jywyb [tinyurl.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/tinyurl.com/5y7jywyb__;!!PtGJab4!5YNro8f…> The agenda and call details can be found at: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/GAChO [icann-community.atlassian.net]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/GAC…> Zoom Registration Link: https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/_y89VstfQmChbVRzXMFxmA [icann.zoom.us]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/_y89VstfQ…> (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.) APRALO Policy Forum Wiki Workspace: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/OOrdBg [icann-community.atlassian.net]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/OOr…> Thank you. Kind Regards, At-Large Staff ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community Website: atlarge.icann.org [atlarge.icann.org]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/atlarge.icann.org/__;!!PtGJab4!5YNro8f8u…>

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Introduction – AFRI-Discuss Mailing List
by Abubakar Hassan Muhammad March 25, 2026

March 25, 2026

Dear Colleagues, I am pleased to join the AFRI-Discuss mailing list and to be part of this vibrant community focused on internet governance and end-user representation in Africa. My name is Abubakar Hassan Muhammad, a Chief Engineer at Federal University of Education, Zaria with a background in Electronics and Electrical Engineering and ICT. I have a strong interest in internet governance, digital inclusion, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies. I look forward to engaging in meaningful discussions, learning from the community, and contributing to initiatives that strengthen Africa’s participation in the global internet ecosystem. Thank you, and I am glad to be here. Kind regards, Abubakar Hassan Muhammad

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REGISTER / APRALO Policy Forum Webinar Series on A Multilingual Internet: Webinar #2: "Multilingual Domain Names" on Thursday, 26 March 2026 at 06:00 UTC
by ICANN At-Large Staff March 23, 2026

March 23, 2026

[95DPtCAAAABklEQVQDAP2XBkAatO13AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC] The APRALO Policy Forum is delighted to present the second of the series of 3 webinars to introduce ICANN’s goal for a “Multilingual Internet” and its engagement of relevant stakeholders to deliver this goal. You are invited to Webinar #2: Multilingual Domain Names on 26 March 2026 at 06:00 UTC for 75 minutes, where Satish Babu will host Pitinan Kooarmornpatana, IDN Programs Director, ICANN in an introduction to IDN related policies and their implementation for enabling secure and stable use of IDNs under both gTLDs and ccTLDs. If you are unfamiliar with the ICANN IDN Program, IDN related policies and wonder how these and you can contribute to making the Internet truly multilingual, then join us and get your answers! Don't forget to pre-register your participation! And if you have any, please let us have your questions on this topic by posting them as comments to this wiki page below; or if you prefer, submit them by emailing staff at staff(a)atlarge.icann.org<mailto:staff@atlarge.icann.org> For other times: https://tinyurl.com/5y7jywyb [tinyurl.com]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/tinyurl.com/5y7jywyb__;!!PtGJab4!5YNro8f…> The agenda and call details can be found at: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/GAChO [icann-community.atlassian.net]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/GAC…> Zoom Registration Link: https://icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/_y89VstfQmChbVRzXMFxmA [icann.zoom.us]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann.zoom.us/meeting/register/_y89VstfQ…> (After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.) APRALO Policy Forum Wiki Workspace: https://icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/OOrdBg [icann-community.atlassian.net]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/icann-community.atlassian.net/wiki/x/OOr…> Thank you. Kind Regards, At-Large Staff ICANN Policy Staff in support of the At-Large Community Website: atlarge.icann.org [atlarge.icann.org]<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https:/atlarge.icann.org/__;!!PtGJab4!5YNro8f8u…>

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