What: Launch of dotAfrica 

Highlights for media will include

• Information on the importance of dotAfrica as an identity and a vehicle for  socio cultural activities of Africa in the  digital era that will allow the continent to contribute to the global digital economy

• dotAfrica as an alternative source of funding for ICT related projects and initiatives 

• Press conference to be held by the AUC Chairperson Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Dr E. Ibrahim Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy                                   

When: 10th March, 2017 from 10am till 11:30am

Where: The African Union Commission - Addis Ababa Ethiopia

Who: The African Union Commission (AUC)’s Department of Infrastructure and Energy 

Why: The dotAfrica generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) will bring the continent together as an internet community under one umbrella, allowing e-commerce, technology and infrastructure to flourish. A truly African initiative established by Africans for Africa and the World.

BACKGROUND

DotAfrica (.Africa) is the proposed new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) for the African continent. It is an opportunity to forge a unique online identity which will associate products, services and/or information with the continent and people of Africa. 

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organisation responsible for the coordination of the global Internet's systems of unique identifiers, launched a new top level domain application process in 2012.

With the endorsement and support of the African Union Commission (AUC) and individual African governments and regional governmental agencies and organizations, the ZA Central Registry (ZACR), a non-profit company based in Johannesburg, South Africa submitted an application on behalf of AUC for the dotAfrica gTLD.

On 15 February 2017 at exactly 14:58:59 the .Africa domain name extension (www.nic.africa) was delegated by ICANN and added to the root servers

Journalists are invited to cover the Event.