DotConnectAfrica seeks partner to run “.AFRICA” domain

DotConnectAfrica (DCA) is looking for a registry partner for the technical and operational services of the .AFRICA generic top level domain (gTLD) that DCA intends to apply for when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) moves to expand the internet space in June.
“DotConnectAfrica (DCA) intends to participate in the new gTLD application issued by ICANN. As such DCA will be looking for a registry partner for technical and operational services for the planned .AFRICA top level domain, that is consistent with the road-map of ICANN's requirements,” a statement from DCA reads in part.
Interested parties with requisite capability to provide registry services should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) with the name and address of the company, company profile and financial capabilities.
Others are experience in providing registry services (technical and operational) and presence and or experience in developing markets.
DCA will contact selected parties for more detailed discussions and a selection process.
Pre-qualification would include technical and financial evaluation as well as support from a host country.
Interested registers have been asked to send their expressions of interest to the address: eoi@dotconnectafrica.org.
Sophia Bekele, the executive director DCA is leading the chase for a .AFRICA domain arguing that .africa as a gTLD is long overdue given the potential it has to brand the continent’s products and services. “While Africa’s image has suffered through war, famine and governance issues, there is also another image that the world does not know about Africa, and that can be told through its people, when they engage in promoting their products and services for trade and investment in the new gTLD,” she said in an earlier interview.
Bekele explained that a shift in the industry away from the original gTLDs that have served Africa like the dotcoms and dotorgs to a dotafrica will mean development of a new industry and market for Africa empowering African jobs and wealth creation.
She said Africa will be empowered in the process so that gTLDs don’t have to go to ICANN for financial support as is the case with African community gTLDs
“The dotafrica registry can instead fulfill that need, and this DCA is ready to do,” Bekele said. Africa has already missed the boat in the last many rounds; but we have seen the successes of .eu and then .asia. Now is the time for .africa.”
At the moment, the Internet contains just 21 gTLDs, from the most famous, dot-com to lesser known extensions like dot-name or dot-travel.
The dotafrica registry has so far received endorsements from the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and recently the International Domain Resolution Union (IDRU).