[Community-Discuss] Future of AfriNIC Discussed at IWEEK 2018

[Alan Barrett]

> On 22 Sep 2018, at 20:13, Marcus K. G. Adomey <madomey at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Hello,
> 
> There was a session at IWEEK 2018 on AFRINiC future. A session requested by ISPA members to discuss AFRINIC future [1]
> 
> Can AFRINIC officials who attended the session tell us what transpired from the session?
> 
> Why is AFRINIC future so important for ISPA members to demand a session on the topic at IWEEK?

AFRINIC was not formally invited to participate, but I heard about it and I attended.

Here are some of the topics that were mentioned by Andrew Alston:

* The perceived difficulty of obtaining number resources from AFRINIC.  Some people find the service slow, and the amount of information requested by AFRINIC hostmaster staff to be excessive, while others have had good experience.

* Concerns around the last call on the audit policy proposal, where consensus was declared in spite of many objections, and it was later overturned on appeal.

* The fact that there had been no transfer to the strategic cash reserve in the first half of 2018.

* The lack of engagement from South African members, who make up about 25% of AFRINIC’s membership.

* The AFRINIC Bylaws are not clear about the need for departing Directors to give up their Registered Member status.

* He wants AFRINIC to comply with the Mauritius Code of Corporate Governance.

* He says that the AGMM was not held legally because of documents not distributed in advance.

* He says the Board brushed aside his questions at the AGMM.

* Quorum for the next AGMM cannot be attained because there are too few elected Directors.

* He suggested that South African members have enough votes to force an SGMM in terms of Bylws article 7.6(viii); or to liquidate AFRINCI in terms of Bylaws article 7.6(ix).  He also suggested that members could withold their fees.

I responded about the resource allocation difficulties, and suggested another meeting where I could learn more about the perceived problems. A few people said that they had had difficulties, and a few said the process had been smooth. The general feeling is that the process is too difficult.

I also talked about the AGMM quorum issue, saying that we have the ability to approach the court to hold an AGMM.

Discussion from the floor did not support any of the drastic actions Andrew suggested.


A few days later, I as CEO, and Christian Bope as Board Chair, met with a small number of AFRINIC members to learn more about the perceived problems with resource allocation.  We received some useful suggestion for improvements that AFRINIC could make.


Alan Barrett
CEO, AFRINIC