Dear Martha, Thank you for your email. Well received. Bram and I will be sharing today the draft strategy based on your input. Kind regardsHadia ElminiawiAFRALO Chair On Monday, July 14, 2025 at 09:19:14 AM GMT+3, Martha Alade <martha@witin.org> wrote: Dear Hadia and Afralo, Well done on the great work so far. I’ve carefully reviewed the 37-page ICANN Africa FY26–30 Regional Plan. In light of the strong contributions already made—particularly by Prof. Abdulkarim Oloyede—I’ve aimed to avoid repetition. Drawing on my expertise in gender and inclusivity in tech, please find below my brief input for your consideration. AFRALO FY26 Outreach & Engagement Plan Input by Martha Alade, WITIN.org Q1: Objectives for AFRALO Strategic Plan for FY26 - Localize ICANN Understanding Through Indigenous Contexts Translate ICANN's complex frameworks into formats grounded in African oral traditions, local analogies, and storytelling. This enhances comprehension and retention, particularly in communities with limited exposure to digital governance. - Institutionalize Gender, Disability, and Youth Accountability in Participation Metrics Move beyond general inclusivity by embedding tracking systems and equity benchmarks in AFRALO programs to ensure fair representation of marginalized demographics, including women, persons with disabilities, and rural youth. - Empower Community-Owned Digital Identities Facilitate the emergence of digital identifiers rooted in African linguistic and cultural identities—driven not only by technical standards but also by heritage preservation and local pride. Q2: AFRALO Main Activities to Achieve Identified Objectives - Host “ICANN in My Language” Knowledge Jams Organize multilingual, community-led meetups where participants co-create glossaries and explainer materials about ICANN in indigenous languages (e.g., Igbo, Wolof, Amharic), published in open formats. - Launch the “Digital Custodians Lab” Fellowship A program for cultural and community leaders (not just tech professionals) who steward digital access in their communities—e.g., teachers, religious leaders, youth mentors—giving them tools to engage with Internet governance from a social impact lens. - Co-Create Domain Identity Projects with Cultural Institutions Partner with museums, language revival groups, and traditional councils to co-design proposals for TLDs or IDNs tied to endangered languages, oral heritage, and pan-African identity narratives. - Map “Silent Zones” and Run Listening Missions Conduct participatory mapping and consultations in countries or regions with no AFRALO/ICANN presence. Use storytelling booths and analog surveys to collect perspectives, then feed findings into AFRALO strategy. Q3: Communication Strategy Approaches - Design “ICANN Dramas” as Culturally-Driven Storytelling for Public Awareness Commission short radio drama series and video skits in local dialects that explain ICANN concepts through fictional everyday stories (e.g., a domain dispute between market traders). For Memetic and Satirical Storytelling for Public Awareness, co-create humorous, culturally embedded media (e.g., animated skits, memes, audio drama series) that explain ICANN concepts using familiar formats and characters to attract younger and less formal audiences in urban and rural settings. - Activate “DNS Champions” in Community and Market Spaces Identify trusted local figures in markets and community gathering spaces who can serve as intermediaries to share ICANN messages through accessible formats such as printed flyers, short talks, or voice notes during regular interactions - Deploy Visual Listening Boards in Public Places Set up boards in schools, libraries, and markets where people can pin questions or concerns about the Internet. These boards are collected monthly/quarterly and translated into engagement themes. - Create “Policy Snapshots for People” Packs Replace lengthy policy texts with postcard-sized printed summaries, comics, or “Did You Know?” cards tailored for non-expert audiences and distributed via schools, buses, and salons. Design targeted digital pathways based on community roles (e.g., “I’m a student,” “I run a cybercafe,” “I’m a policymaker”) with auto-personalized content, feedback options, and opt-in alerts for consultations, webinars, and learning opportunities Warm regards, Martha Omoekpen Alade Executive Director, Women in Technology in Nigeria (WITIN) witin.org Connect with me on LinkedIn Follow our WSIS+20 page for our Session Outcome On Fri, Jul 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM Abdulkarim Oloyede via AFRI-Discuss <afri-discuss@icann.org> wrote: Dear Hadia and AFRALO Colleagues Thank you for sharing the ICANN Africa Regional Plan for FY26–30 and for initiating this important conversation on aligning AFRALO’s FY26 Strategic Plan and Outreach Strategy with broader regional goals. Based on my engagement with capacity-building efforts and technical community development across Africa, I am pleased to offer the following contributions: 1. Proposed Objectives for AFRALO FY26 Strategic Plan - Strengthen Multistakeholder Participation: Empower underrepresented communities across Africa to participate meaningfully in ICANN processes, ensuring geographical, linguistic, and generational diversity. - Promote Technical Capacity Building: Develop practical skills in DNS operations, DNSSEC, Universal Acceptance (UA), and Internet governance to address Africa’s digital development gaps. - Support Local Internet Development Initiatives: Encourage the deployment of resilient DNS infrastructure, stimulate ccTLD growth, and improve cybersecurity practices aligned with ICANN’s strategic goals. - Enhance Youth and Academia Engagement: Create pathways for students and young professionals to join ICANN spaces, contributing fresh perspectives and securing the future of Internet governance in Africa. 2. Suggested Main Activities to Achieve These Objectives - Regional Training Programs: Conduct workshops, technical bootcamps, and policy briefings across Africa on topics like DNS security, UA adoption, and multistakeholder governance. - Mentorship & Community Development: Expand mentorship opportunities within AFRALO to support newcomers, especially in countries with low ICANN participation. - Collaboration with Local Stakeholders: Build partnerships with universities, ccTLD registries, ISPs, and local tech hubs to co-host events and support joint initiatives. - Policy & Technical Dialogues: Organise regular community dialogues to bridge the gap between technical communities, governments, and civil society on internet policy matters. - Knowledge Sharing Platforms: Develop repositories of learning materials (including local language content) and encourage AFRALO community members to contribute to ICANN Learn and regional best practices. 3. Strategic Approaches for Outreach & Engagement Communication - Localised Messaging: Create communication content in key African languages (Arabic, French, Swahili, Portuguese, and local dialects) to reach broader communities. - Multi-Platform Strategy: Use a blend of social media, WhatsApp groups, local radio, and virtual town halls to reach different segments of the community. - Storytelling & Impact Narratives: Share success stories from African participants in ICANN initiatives, demonstrating the tangible benefits of engagement. - Community-Led Engagement: Empower country-level or sub-regional AFRALO members to lead local awareness sessions, creating a bottom-up engagement model. - Regular Progress Updates: Provide clear, periodic updates on AFRALO activities and ICANN processes, making it easier for members to follow and participate meaningfully. Warm regards, Prof. Abdulkarim Oloyede On Wed, May 14, 2025 at 12:09 PM Hadia El Miniawi via AFRI-Discuss <afri-discuss@icann.org> wrote: Dear AFRALO members, Friends and Colleagues, I hope this email finds you well.  As shared with you a couple of weeks ago ICANN draft Regional FY 26-30 plan is now open for public comment, you can find the public comment proceeding at: Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years 2026-2030 In order to prepare for AFRALO FY26 Outreach & Engagement Plan which of course needs to align with ICANN Africa FY26-30 Regional Plan, we kindly ask you to provide your input to the following three questions: Note: you can access AFRALO Outreach & Engagement strategic plan FY26 wiki page at: AFRALO Outreach & Engagement Strategic Plan FY26 - African Regional At Large Organisation (AFRALO) - Confluence Objectives:1. In youropinion what should be the main objectives of AFRALO Strategic Plan for FY26? –Please refer to ICANN Regional 26-30 Africa Regional Plan prior to providingyour answer, you can find the draft plan at draft-icann-africa-regional-plan-for-fy-26-30-25-04-2025-en.pdf  Activities: 2. In youropinion what should be AFRALO main activities to achieve the identifiedObjectives?     Communication Strategy: 3. Theimplementation of the AFRALO FY25 Outreach and Engagement Strategy will requirean effective communication strategy tailored to the targeted audience in theirrespective communities. Please identify some strategic approaches Thank you and looking forward to seeing you today at AFRALO Monthly call Kind regardsHadia ElminiawiAFRALO Chair    On Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 04:34:12 PM GMT+3, hadia Elminiawi via AFRI-Discuss <afri-discuss@icann.org> wrote: Dear Yaovi, Thank you for sharing the draft Africa Regional Plan. Kind regardsHadia Elminiawi On Tue, 29 Apr 2025 at 08:52, Yaovi Atohoun via AFRI-Discuss <afri-discuss@icann.org> wrote: Dear all,   The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers organization (ICANN org) is soliciting community input on the regional activities and desired outcomes defined in the Draft FY26–30 Africa Regional Plan. For more information, and to participate in the proceeding, please visit this webpage. The submission closing date is Friday, 6 June 2025   Thanks --  Yaovi Atohoun Director Stakeholder Engagement & Operations for Africa – ICANN www.icann.org   _______________________________________________ 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 Posting guidelines to ensure machine translations of emails sent to this list are more accurate: http://www.funredes.org/mistica/english/emec/method_emec/presentation.html#a... _______________________________________________ By submitting your personal data, you consent to the processing of your personal data for purposes of subscribing to this mailing list accordance with the ICANN Privacy Policy (https://www.icann.org/privacy/policy) and the website Terms of Service (https://www.icann.org/privacy/tos). 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