Dear Christabel, Thank you so much for your kind words and for such a thoughtful welcome. I am honored to step into this role, and I truly appreciate the vote of confidence as we begin this journey together. Your feedback is incredibly timely. You’ve hit on two of the most critical "bottlenecks" that prevent the African digital ecosystem from reaching its full potential. I’ve taken a few notes on the points you raised: - *Universal Acceptance (UA) & IDNs:* You are absolutely right—an internet that doesn’t speak our languages is effectively a "No Trespassing" sign for millions. Moving UA readiness from a technical discussion to a practical implementation across government and payment sectors is a priority I plan to champion within the ALAC. - *The 2026 New gTLD Program:* Your point about moving from *observation to ownership* is powerful. We cannot just be consumers of the DNS; we must be the architects. Strengthening the pipeline for African registry operators and applicants is essential if we want our policy influence to be backed by technical and economic sovereignty. To move these discussions from dialogue to action, I would like to invite you to participate in a few upcoming AFRALO and At-Large activities where your insights would be invaluable: 1. *AFRALO Monthly Call (April 1, 2026):* We will be discussing our regional strategy for the upcoming months. It would be a great platform to raise these points formally. 2. *Universal Acceptance (UA) Day 2026:* There are several regional events coming up throughout April and May (including sessions in Senegal, Ethiopia, Ghana, and Nigeria). I’d love to see how we can collaborate to ensure these events move the needle on local ecosystem readiness. 3. *New gTLD Program Capacity Building:* Following the discussions at ICANN85, we are looking at specific webinars and toolkits to help African applicants navigate the 2026 round. Your perspective on registry operations would be a great addition to these planning sessions. I am eager to draw on your expertise as we navigate these challenges. Let’s *all *stay in close contact to ensure Africa’s voice is both heard and influential in these critical policy developments. Warm regards, Adebunmi Adeola Akinbo. On Sun, 8 Mar 2026 at 16:28, Christabel Mebaghandu < christabel.mebaghandu@outlook.com> wrote:
Dear Dr. Akinbo,
Congratulations on formally beginning your term as AFRALO’s ALAC Representative!
Your message captures both the urgency and the opportunity before the African Internet governance community, and I commend the clarity of the strategic direction you have outlined.
In response to your call for ground-level insights, two pressing issues that continue to affect us as Africans include:
- Limited Universal Acceptance readiness across local digital ecosystems: Many platforms, payment systems, and government services still do not fully support IDNs, creating barriers to meaningful digital participation, and just as you mentioned, an Internet that does not speak our language is an internet that excludes us.
- Involvement in the new gTLD program: 2026 presents a critical phase in the expansion of the internet. When operators and applicants from the region are few, Africa’s practical contributions to registry operations and DNS ecosystem development will remain limited, which can indirectly reduce our influence in shaping future policy discussions within the ICANN. If Africa is to meaningfully shape the future namespace of the Internet, our participation must move beyond commentary and observation to *ownership, stewardship, and operation of digital infrastructure*.
I look forward to contributing to these discussions and supporting efforts that strengthen Africa’s voice in shaping the future of the global Internet. I also wish you a productive and impactful tenure.
Cordially,
Christabel Mebaghandu ------------------------------ *From:* Adebunmi Akinbo via AFRI-Discuss <afri-discuss@icann.org> *Sent:* Thursday, March 5, 2026 8:19 PM *To:* afri-discuss@icann.org <afri-discuss@icann.org> *Subject:* [AFRI-Discuss] Updated: From Transition to Action: Our Roadmap for the African End-User.
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). _______________________________________________ AFRI-Discuss mailing list -- afri-discuss@icann.org To unsubscribe send an email to afri-discuss-leave@icann.org
Homepage for the region: http://www.afralo.org
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