Dear all,

ICANN is pleased to announce the release of its Final Report on Africa Domain Name System (DNS) Market Study. This study serves as part of ICANN's outreach efforts to support and improve the regional DNS industry. The report is the first of its kind in the region, which includes 54 countries. It was commissioned to:

• Highlight the strengths and weaknesses in the DNS sector in Africa, 
• Develop recommendations on how to advance the industry to better exploit the opportunities available and to address identified challenges,
• Explore options for establishing an observatory to continuously monitor the growth, development and emerging needs of the DNS market in Africa.

The findings of the report, which will guide the next steps for capacity-building in Africa, lead to significant conclusions and recommendations highlighted below:

• There are, as of May 2017, some 5.1 million domain names associated with Africa. The total annual value of the African Domain Name market is some $52 million.
• Many countries could usefully remove or reduce barriers to growth of the Internet industry generally and the Domain Name market in particular.
• There is considerable potential for growth in the Domain Name market in Africa for the foreseeable future.

You can view and download the report here[icann.org] [PDF, 5.02 MB].

Best regards,

Joke Braeken

ccNSO Policy Advisor 

joke.braeken@icann.org

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