Dear listers, Sorry for cross posting. Please find below our October 2014 Newsletter. your feedback are welcome. Thank you. Regards *Bob*. We are excited to share with you our October 2014 edition of the AfrICANN newsletter, and hope you enjoyed reading our EMEA Newsletter, which covered the general developments in the last three months within ICANN in the EMEA regions, as well as the wider Internet Ecosystem. It is our hope that these tools continue to be important vessels in keeping you - our community and stakeholders - informed about our work in Africa and beyond. With your feedback, we believe that together, we will make significant strides in elevating the DNS industry in Africa. In this AfriICANN edition, we shall highlight some of the key activities and events that the Africa team has participated in the last two months and update you on the planned activities coming in the near future. A special focus (Spotlight) has been given to our recent participation in the just concluded Smart Rwanda Days <http://www.smartrwandadays.rw/> forum in Kigali Rwanda where ICANN Africa team and one of the ICANN board members – Mike Silber – hosted two distinguished panels. We are also happy to welcome The Gambia and Niger as the latest addition to the list of Africa’s GAC members in ICANN. Our DNSSEC roadshow flagship project has now reached 8 countries and counting. Lastly, and in response to the desire by the community to re-evaluate the Africa Strategy with a view of making it more responsive to African needs, the ICANN Africa team is planning a special consultative meeting to be held during Afrinic 21 in November 2014 to help come up with modalities of appointing a Steering Committee to oversee the Implementation of the Africa Strategy. Please read on. *Welcome to AfrICANN and happy reading!* *Africa Team* Spotlight: ICANN at Smart Rwanda Days (Oct 2-3 2014) SMART Rwanda Days is to be an annual event bringing together national and international stakeholders in the ICT sector – industry experts, policy makers, and development partners – to discuss how Rwanda can leverage Information Communication Technologies for economic transformation in line with her Vision 2020. This year’s event was held at the Serena Hotel, Kigali under the theme “Digitising Rwanda” and was attended by more than 400 participants. The overall programme is here <http://www.smartrwandadays.rw/IMG/pdf/program.pdf>. It is the first of a series of SMART Africa days to be organized in each African country. To be noted, ICANN is a member of the SMART Africa Alliance, which was formed in October 2013 in Addis Ababa; other members are the ITU, the AUC and the AfDB. ICANN was represented at SMART Rwanda days by the Africa team and Mike Silber, a member of the ICANN board of directors. We did three things during the 2-day forum. We held bilateral meetings and hosted two panels. The bilateral meetings were with government delegations - ICT ministers from Kenya, Rwanda and Republic of Southern Sudan). Also in attendance were ITU secretary General Dr. Hamadoun Toure and One UN resident Coordinator for Rwanda Mr. Lamin M. Manneh. We also held meetings with lecturers from the Carnegie Mellon University of Rwanda. As for the two panels hosted, they revolved around: *A)* Internet Governance *B)* Greasing the wheels of the Internet Economy While speaking at the official closure of the forum, President Paul Kagame echoed the rallying call and tone of the forum “We need to treat broadband like a utility that we should avail and make affordable to as many people as we can.” Specifically, he stressed that digital innovation means ideas do not have borders and therefore countries cannot be landlocked! On his part, Dr. Toure, echoed Kagame’s remarks on the progress made in recent years in ICT, saying that Africa was catching up with the rest of the world and that the next step would be building a knowledge-based society. “We have the right resources, the younger generation who we believe in, and a framework that was established and detailed in the Smart Africa Manifesto,” Toure said. The two ICANN Panels were spot on and generated very active debates. *A) Panel Discussion <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOwYC-6JyTw> on "Internet governance”* *Moderator:* Steve Mutabazi, Acting Head ICT; Rwanda Development Board *Speakers:* - Pierre Dandjinou, VP, Stakeholder Engagement – Africa, ICANN - Mike Silber, Head Legal and Commercial of Liquid Telecomms - Patrick Nyirishema, Ag. Director General of RURA, Rwanda - Ghislain Nkeramugaba, Ag. CEO, RICTA - Hon. Vincent Waiswa Bagiire, MP, Parliament, Republic of Uganda The panel discussion opened with a video presentation by Fadi Chehade; in his welcoming remarks Fadi emphasized on what ICANN does and why Africa should be part of the overall debate on Internet Governance. Pierre took over with slides presentation on ICANN and most specifically current discussions and work on the NTIA’s declaration on transition of the stewardship of IANA’s functions. Other panelists proceeded with addressing specific points related to ICANN’s role within the debate on the Internet governance. The representative of RURA, the Rwandan regulator insisted on the necessity for inclusive debates and the need for countries to have a certain control over the content, which circulates on the Internet. The Honourable Vincent Bagiire, a Parliamentarian from Uganda recognized the important role played by ICANN, but was on the opinion that ICANN does not communicate enough on its activities and moreover, has been too slow in solving issues related to re delegation of ccTLDs. The representative of the ICT Association of Rwanda, RICTA which manages the .RW gave an account of how the country’s domain is being managed and called for a national organization of stakeholders so that they could best contribute to the Internet governance. He brought in the issue of Cybersecurity. Mike Silber indicated that ICANN ‘s remit is about coordination of critical resources and that many issues being raised such as content control or cybersecurity should be dealt with in other arenas to be created. He insisted on the importance of participating in the global debate on Internet governance. In summary, it was agreed that: 1. Africa needs an informed participation to be able to contribute to ICANN and other fora on Internet governance 2. There is a need to promote debates on IG at national and regional levels 3. ICANN should help build a conducive environment which generates the type of leadership that is needed to contribute to ICANN’s activities 4. Though some information is available on ICANN’s website, it should seek other means to better communicate on its activities, while targeting different stakeholders. *B) Panel Discussion on “Greasing the wheels of the Internet Economy"* *Moderator:* Ali Hussein, CEO, 3Mice Interactive (Kenya) *Speakers:* - Hon. Dr. Fred Okeng'o Matiangi, Ministry of ICT, Republic of Kenya - Pitchette Kampeta Sayinzoga, PS, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning - Rwanda - Tongai Maramba, CEO, Tigo Rwanda - Sunir Chandaria, Vice President, Conros Corporation (Rwanda) - Andrew Rugege, Regional Director for Africa, ITU - Pierre Dandjinou, VP, Stakeholder Engagement Africa, ICANN This session was held in the main plenary, with over 100 participants in attendance including the ICT ministers from Republic of Southern Sudan, Rwanda, and PS ICT for Republic of Mali and Gabon and streamed live <http://youtu.be/T96i-uB6zMQ>. To set the stage for the panel, the BCG report was presented in a few slides; followed by presentations by each speakers and an interaction with the audience. In summary, very interesting dialogues with high profile panelists. The discussions reflected the rich mix of the panelists with most supporting the findings of the BCG report. “This report has summed up our headache in matters of ICTs in Africa with the correct term - efriction” noted Mr. Tongai of Tigo. Pierre was keen on addressing the motivation as to why this report was commissioned by ICANN while Dr. Matiangi elaborated the various initiatives in flight in Kenya and within the East African Northern Corridor projects to address some of the efrictions listed in the report. Panelists were in general agreement that it is high time ICT infrastructure was considered as ‘critical’ as roads, Power lines and water infrastructure, and that strategies including content and application generation as well as skills development be central to the uptake of ICT for growth and job creation in the African region. This was echoed by the ICT minister from Rwanda Hon. Jean Philbert Nsengimana who stressed in his remarks during the closing ceremony that “For the Smart Rwanda Days specifically this year we chose ‘Digitising Rwanda’ as a theme, in recognition of the fact that Africa’s digital economies are growing faster than traditional sectors and the potential for an even bigger contribution to national GDPs is yet to be unleashed". *The ICANN Africa team* Africa Team Engagement Activities in Focus *DNSSEC Roadshow In Yaounde (Cameroon)* Last month, we held our latest DNSSEC Roadshow in Yaoundé Cameroon from September 17-19, 2014. With about 100 participants taking part at Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Postes et Télécommunications (ENSPT), in Yaoundé. The workshop covered general awareness, capacity building in DNSSEC technical implementation and, evaluation of the current infrastructure at the ccTLD level, and next steps for DNSSEC deployment. *Business Engagement Roundtable and Breakfast Meeting, Nairobi Kenya (Sept 8-9, 2014)* The work of ICANN in coordinating the names and addresses of the Internet helps keep it global, expanding and interoperable. Furthermore, increased access to a global, expanding, and interoperable Internet is good for business and national economies. Support for this point can be found in the Boston Consulting Group’s report on E friction, “Greasing the Wheels of the Internet Economy” <https://www.icann.org/en/system/files/files/bcg-internet-economy-27jan14-en.pdf> . The BCG report came out in January, and continues to resonate with governments and business leaders around the world by providing a clear roadmap of how businesses and national economies can continue to benefit by fully embracing a global, borderless Internet. Our aim in hosting this event in Nairobi was to stimulate meaningful private sector involvement especially in Africa in ICANN as well the wider IG ecosystem. The mixed presentation and panel roundtable meeting was led by ICANN’s Chris Mondini supported by Kenyan private sector ICT experts with discussions focused on 3 major topics; Africa Strategy, BCG report presentation and Panel Discussion on Business Engagement. *Southern Africa IGF: Lilongwe Malawi* ICANN participated in the Southern Africa Internet Governance Forum 2014 (SAIGF-14) convened from 17 - 19 Sept 2014 in Lilongwe, Malawi. This high level multi-stakeholder event on emerging issues on Internet Governance (IG) in SADC was hosted by the Government of Malawi. The SAIGF-14 was co-convened by SADC Secretariat in conjunction with the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Agency, the Association for Progressive Communications (APC) and the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONET) under the theme “Internet Governance as a Building Block of SADC Regional Integration”. The event attracted over 200 delegates from nine (9) SADC Member States. ICANN hosted 2 panel sessions on Africa Strategy and another on IANA stewardship transition / Enhancing ICANN Accountability. The event also provided an opportunity for productive bilateral meetings with visiting delegates from SADC member states and the host Malawi GAC rep who is also the secretary for e-government. NEPAD also announced plans to host the 2ND Africa School on Internet Governance alongside Afrinic 21 in November this year. Here is the comprehensive media release <http://www.sadc.int/documents-publications/show/2789>. *ICANN at Demo Africa 2014 (Sept 24 – 26 2014)* DEMO Africa is one of the flagship initiatives of Liberalizing Innovation Opportunity Nations (LIONS@FRICA) Partnership and aims to connect African startups to the global ecosystem. It offers start-ups from all over Africa a platform to meet VCs, investors, tech acquisition specialists, IT buyers and media from across the region and around the globe. The Start-ups are given an opportunity to launch their products to a tech eco-system under various categories including Health, Agriculture, Manufacturing and Retail and education. This event offered us the perfect opportunity to tap into the potential of African youth to stimulate digital entrepreneurship. Through collaboration with tech hubs and Incubators, practical training and support to potential startups interested in the DNS field can be offered, to launch and operate a registry / registrar business. (DNS incubation). We at ICANN, understand the need for strategic partnerships with private sector players, technology and global firms and other donor institutions to support the project which is why we follow and participate in DEMO Africa and similar events. The event now in its 3 edition in Africa was hosted in Lagos, Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Communication and Technology, the National IT Development Agency and the LIONS@FRICA partners. Key guest who addressed the meeting included the Minister for ICT, Mrs. Omobola Johnson and the US Secretary of State, John Kerry (Video Message <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DGzmmXsZNhA>). *Connect 2 Connect (C2C) Summit. Dar es salaam, Tanzania* The C2C summit <http://extensia-events.com/events/connect-2-connect-2014/> was organized by Extensia <http://extensia-events.com/> in partnership with Tanzania’s ministry of Communications Science & Technology (MCST) and the Tanzania Telecommunications Company Ltd. (TTCL). The summit recognized the cross-sector collaborative efforts in building an Information Society and a Knowledge Economy across the Eastern, Central and Southern regions of Africa. Attracting over 240 international policy makers, regulators, service providers, major end users, investors and solution providers, from 28 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and USA. “The high level of attendance is a clear indication of the importance of ICT and serious vision for creating an information society and knowledge economy” noted PS MCST, Tanzania. As ICANN, our aim in collaborating with Extensia and participating in such events is to use the platforms to deepen our engagements with key delegations from across sectors and expose them to ICANN’s work as we invite governments to join GAC. We had very constructive bilateral meetings with the Minster for ICT, Republic or southern Sudan Ms. Rebecca J. Okwaci, the host and chief guest of the day, PS MCST, for Tanzania, Prof. Patrick J. Makungu, and the the deputy minister for ICT – Republic of Zimbabwe Dr. W. Mlambo as well as representatives from the African Telecommunications Union – ATU. The rest were private sector players and CEO’s from diverse sectors but largely from Telco’s, Regulators and ISPs. Please see more details here <http://extensia-events.com/events/connect-2-connect-2014/> and here <http://www.slideshare.net/nairdallah/c2c-2014-summit-review>. *National ICT Summit – Namibia* ICANN was invited for a key note presentation at the first ever national ICT event in Namibia organized by the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology in partnership with Telecom Namibia at the Windhoek Country Club Resort in Windhoek, on the 6th and 7th October 2014. Bob Ochieng represented ICANN at the summit and presented on 3 key topics; Africa Strategy Implementation, IANA Stewardship Transition and the new gTLD programme. The event also provided an opportunity for bilateral meetings with the ICT leadership in the Ministry of ICT including the Hon. minister Joel Kaapanda, MP, the PS ICT Mr. Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana and Mr. Henry Kassen, the GAC rep for Namibia (Henry is currently vying for the GAC vice chair position during ICANN 51) as well CEOs of Namibia Telecom and the Regulator (CRAN <http://www.cran.na/>) and lecturers from University of Namibia (UNAM). A record 250 delegates were in attendance during the 2-day event. Please read more here <http://www.namibiaictsummit.na/>. Upcoming Events in Africa *Afrinic 21 <http://www.afrinic.net/en/library/news/1013-af21>* ICANN Africa team will be hosting a special meeting for the mid term review of the Africa Strategy and possible formation of a steering committee to oversee the implementation. *ICANN AfICTA joint Workshop <http://aficta.org/index.php/events>* The 2nd AfICTA Summit with the theme "Fostering a Smart Africa" is scheduled to hold on November 3-5, 2014 @ the Conference Centre, Cairo, Egypt. ICANN Africa team and together with ICANN Middle East colleagues will host 2 day workshop focused on Registrar issues. *MEDays Forum <http://www.medays.org>* The Amadeus Institute, first Think Tank in the Maghreb, will organize the seventh edition of the international MEDays Forum in Tangier, Morocco, from November 12th to 15th, 2014. ICANN VP for Africa, Mr. Pierre Dandjinou will give a key note address under the topic *“Cyber War and e-security: How to Solve the Snowden Equation?”* From ICANN Global - *ICANN 51:* Please read all about ICANN 51 at http://la51.icann.org/en/ - *IANA Stewardship Transition and ICANN Accountability:* ICANN has published Revised Enhancing ICANN Accountability: Process and Next Steps: https://www.icann.org/news/announcement-2-2014-10-10-en - ITU Plenipotentiary Conference scheduled for Busan (Republic of Korea) in November 2014 <http://www.itu.int/en/plenipotentiary/2014/Pages/default.aspx> <https://twitter.com/ICANN> <https://www.facebook.com/icannorg>