[AfrICANN-discuss] Embracing Africa’s Online Future

[Anne-Rachel Inné]

 Embracing Africa’s Online Future

http://blog.icann.org/2011/10/embracing-africa%E2%80%99s-online-future/

by Scott Pinzon on October 27, 2011

ICANN has always tried to embrace Africa. Imagine, then, our delight that
Africa has embraced us in return – with great ardor.

I had the privilege of speaking Wednesday morning with the men and women
attending the AFRALO capacity building program. AFRALO is the African
expression of At-Large, the group within ICANN representing the voice of
individual Internet users.

AFRALO Vice Chair Tijani Ben Jemaa and Chair Fatimata Seye Sylla have built
a five-day training program to give African civil society the tools and
knowledge to participate effectively in the ICANN policy development
process.

What struck me was the enormous vigor with which the Africans have seized
upon this opportunity. All 24 AFRALO At-Large Structures, from all over the
continent, sent representation to this meeting. That is no small thing.

Some non-African delegates to ICANN 42 have moaned about unsteady,
intermittent, or slow Internet connections. Imagine living in Africa, where
it is not unusual for someone to ride a bike to the next village in order
to use the one connected computer in the area.

Some non-African delegates felt their travel to Dakar was long and tiring.
If you flew here, imagine having to drive across a continent to get here.

Even some of us on the ICANN staff have to brace ourselves to function
during the long hours and multiple demands of facilitating the meeting.
Imagine the members of the African delegation volunteering a week (or more)
of their own time, to learn about policy-making, about a technology many of
them can access only sporadically.

In short, our African participants have shown a breathtaking amount of
vision and dedication toward the technological future of Africa. Each of us
who has spent time with them has come away impressed with their generous
attention, insightful questions, and obvious desire to lead their neighbors
on line as full-fledged members of the digital world.

Over the last two years, Internet access has risen from 5% of the African
population to 11.5% of the population. That number needs to be higher, and
many challenges still lie ahead. But that astonishing growth, and the
diligence of our African participants, convinces me there is now no holding
this continent back from its future on line.

Every corner of ICANN supports them. The Joint Applicant Support Working
Group has recommended ways to help developing economies afford their own
gTLDs. Our ongoing overhaul of ICANN.ORG will offer robust support for
people accessing our site by mobile phone. Our Language Services department
is providing an unprecedented amount of French translations.

This is how ICANN says, “Welcome, Africa!” We’re thrilled that through
AFRALO, Africa has answered, “Welcome, ICANN!” Vive les Africains!
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