I do not know Alan well but it's a great loss and he will be missed by us all! On Thu, May 28, 2026 at 8:44 AM Fatimata Seye Sylla via ALAC <alac@icann.org> wrote:
Very sad news! A big loss for Africa and the internet community. May his soul rest in peace.
Fatimata Seye Sylla ICT4D, Education & Genre
On Thu, May 28, 2026 at 2:54 PM Alan Greenberg via ALAC <alac@icann.org> wrote:
This is quite a shock. I have known Alan for over 30 years, when he was one of the lead trainers in the Developing Country Workshops that George Sadowsky and I ran. He was a dedicated and thoughtful man...
Alan
On Thu, May 28, 2026 at 9:47 AM Aftab Siddiqui via ALAC <alac@icann.org> wrote:
A very devastating news :( Alan was an amazing person and a dear friend.
Regards,
Aftab A. Siddiqui
---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Andrew Alston via zanog-discuss <zanog-discuss@lists.nog.net.za> Date: Thu, May 28, 2026 at 4:51 PM Subject: [zanog-discuss] In Memoriam: Alan Barrett To: zanog-discuss <zanog-discuss@lists.nog.net.za> Cc: Andrew Alston <aa@alstonnetworks.net>
Dear friends and colleagues,
As some of you will already be aware, it is with immense sadness that we confirm, on behalf of his wife Kerry and the family, the passing of Alan Barrett. Alan died on May 28th in Cape Town, South Africa, following a diagnosis of late-stage cancer about a month ago. We are sharing this notice so that the community has accurate information at a moment when Kerry and the family need space to grieve.
Alan was a friend, a willing listener, and someone who always stepped up to help when called upon. His contributions to the African Internet ecosystem were second to none, and with his passing we lose not only a friend but a giant of the industry.
In 1990, Alan helped establish the very first Internet connection to South African universities, and in 1993 he co-founded the country's first commercial Internet Service Provider. In 1997 he co-authored the proposal to create AfriNIC and subsequently served on the steering committee tasked with bringing it into being. Alan served on the AfriNIC board from 2004 to 2009 and was a member of the NRO NC from 2004 to 2014. In 2015 he was appointed CEO of AfriNIC, a role he held until 2019.
Beyond Africa, he was a central participant in the IANA Stewardship Transition Coordination Group, and until his death served on the ICANN board on behalf of the Address Supporting Organisation.
Alan will be sorely missed by the community, his relatives and his wife, Kerry.
Kerry and the family ask for privacy at this time. We will be organising an online memorial in due course and will share details once they are available.
Andrew Alston Remco van Mook
_______________________________________________ ALAC mailing list -- alac@icann.org To unsubscribe send an email to alac-leave@icann.org
At-Large Online: http://www.atlarge.icann.org ALAC Working Wiki: https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/At-Large+Advisory+Committee+(ALA...) _______________________________________________ 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). You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.
_______________________________________________ ALAC mailing list -- alac@icann.org To unsubscribe send an email to alac-leave@icann.org
At-Large Online: http://www.atlarge.icann.org ALAC Working Wiki: https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/At-Large+Advisory+Committee+(ALA...) _______________________________________________ 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). You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.
_______________________________________________ ALAC mailing list -- alac@icann.org To unsubscribe send an email to alac-leave@icann.org
At-Large Online: http://www.atlarge.icann.org ALAC Working Wiki: https://community.icann.org/display/atlarge/At-Large+Advisory+Committee+(ALA...) _______________________________________________ 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). You can visit the Mailman link above to change your membership status or configuration, including unsubscribing, setting digest-style delivery or disabling delivery altogether (e.g., for a vacation), and so on.