Ref: dotafrica/2009/07/12

Africa's map in the digital inclusion!

25 August 2009 Dr. Eng. Ahmed Hamdy Head of Science, Technology and ICT Division Department of Human Resources, Science and Technology (HRST) Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (sent: via email, fax)

URGENT AND CONFIDENTIAL

RE: Request for an immediate amendment of resolution on the recent REPORT OF THE EXPERTS SESSION OF
THE EXTRAORDINARY CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN UNION MINISTERS IN CHARGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES (CITMC) 2- 5 November 2009, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA, Ext/CITMC/Exp/ Rpt.(I)

Dear Dr. Hamdy, This letter is to record the meeting minutes we held with your office yesterday 7 December 2009, regarding the issue above and request your cooperation.. DotConnectAfrica have brought the following to your attention that which document is available on the internet and part of the recent resolution of the Council of African Ministers on ICT.
Item (i) of the resolution for Africa in the Economics of the Internet states the following: Establish dot Africa as a continental Top-Level Domain for use by organizations, businesses and individuals with guidance from AfriNic DotConnectAfrica, expresses the following concern on the above advice of the Expert Consultant Meeting: 1-Your Division is well aware in past discussions and meeting with you on 15 September 2009 that our organization has received an endorsement of the AU for implementing the .africa domain and provided various documents to your consultant that you introduced to give feedback and way forward. There was no action since. 2-DotConnectAfrica, therefore and not AfriNic is to advise African Union on the Top level Domain, as we have done so in the past two years, which was the basis of to have the Endorsement of AU to sponsor, implement and make available the .africa TLD to Africa and Pan African community. 3-AfriNic does not have a mandate to get involved in domain activities, as its mandate is strictly in IP addressing. Activities Below is one public domain reference of the CEO of AfriNics statement in regards to this in the past year. The same mandate issues have also been raised in ICANN.
http://www.h-online.com/newsticker/news/item/Dispute-over-africa-domain-737827.html 28 October 2008, 15:52 Dispute over .africa domain AfriNIC CEO Adiel Akplogan stated that the organisation was concerned with IP addresses, not domains, "Let me make quite clear that .africa and the domain business is not part of AfriNIC's activities." He also noted that his organisation welcomes the initiative for an African address zone and would support any proposal aiming towards open and transparent operation. However, AfriNIC would not itself get involved in domain activities. Akplogan has, however, been involved in a .africa project in a consultancy role, as one AfriNIC employee told heise online, noting that this did not represent a break with AfriNIC's fundamental position of neutrality. At the > same time, AfriNIC has emerged, probably without actually itself taking any action, as a possible supporter of a different .africa project. It's impossible to say just how many different .africa initiatives there are. At the ICANN meeting in Paris, Ethiopian businesswoman Sophia Bekelele spoke of efforts to bring the various initiatives together.

4- Based on the above reporting, as well as the recommendation of your consultant seem to have confused IP addressing and domain names activities, DotConnectAfrica, does not feel that AfriNic could represent a neutral position towards its advise to the AU. Your clarification was and advice is as such: 1. The document is a record of the consultant hired by AU to give his views and not that of African Union. 2. This document also does not present a final position of the AU and the follow-up actions. 3. We should write a complaint letter to the AU Commissioners office. While we take your input under advisement, DotConnectAfrica kindly request the division that sponsored the above should make the immediate corrective action to the resolution: 1. to ensure that the African Union does not present a conflicting position as a result of the Consultants error 2. The efforts of DotConnectAfrica does not get damaged by the Consultants statement, which is allowing AfriNic to consult on behalf of AU to the Council of Ministers instead of DotConnectafrica, which has already been given the mandate by AU to do so.

Towards this end, DotConnectAfrica kindly request the cooperation of your good offices in making an immediate correction of the above. I look forward to your positive reply. In anticipation,

Sbekele
Ms. Sophia Bekele, BS, MBA, CISA, CCS, CGEIT Executive Director (.Africa) ICANN gTLD Policy Advisor (2005-2007) www.sophiabekele. com sbekele@dotconnectafrica.org www.dotconnectafrica. org Cc: Prof. Jean-Pierre EZIN, Commissioner, Human Resources, Science and Technology Human Resources & Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Fax ( 251-11) 5513782 Encl: REPORT OF THE EXPERTS SESSION OF THE EXTRAORDINARY CONFERENCE OF AFRICAN UNION MINISTERS IN CHARGE OF
COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES (CITMC) 2- 5 November 2009, Johannesburg, SOUTH AFRICA, Ext/CITMC/Exp/ Rpt.(I)

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