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Introduction
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) is pleased to announce two back-to-back events in Accra, Ghana, on 9 and 10 December 2025: the Africa Engagement Forum and the Africa Domain Name System (DNS) Forum.
Together, these events will encourage African stakeholders to engage in dialogue on Internet governance, technical innovation, and the future of the DNS. The Africa Engagement Forum (9 December), organized by ICANN and hosted by the Association of African Universities, will focus on regional priorities, ICANN updates, and community perspectives.
Parallel Events at the AAU
- Meeting of the partners of the Coalition for Digital Africa
8th Dec 2025 | Contact: info@cda.africa - Workshop on Internet Measurement
8th Dec 2025 | Contact Maud Adjeley maud.ashongelliot@gmail.com
Africa Engagement Forum Programme - 09 December 2025
08:30 – 08:50Registration
● Arrival / badge collection
● Remote connections09:00 – 09:30Opening Session
Speakers:
● Pierre Dandjinou | Vice President Stakeholder Engagement – Africa, ICANN
● Prof Olusola Bandele Oyewole | Secretary General of Association of African Universities (AAU)
● Baher Esmat | Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement – Middle East and Managing Director – Middle East and Africa, ICANN
● Catherine Adeya, ICANN Board member
● Patrick Jones I VP, Global Stakeholder Engagement09:30 - 10:15Africa Engagement Report
Pierre Dandjinou, ICANN10:15 - 10:45Break – Group picture – Press Communication
11:00 – 11:50DNS and Next Round Update
This session will provide a status update on ICANN’s work regarding the implementation of the next round of new generic top-level domains (gTLDs). Followed by a panel discussion on past experiences in applying for a new gTLD (2012 Round), and expectations and potential opportunities for the African market with regard to gTLDs.
Moderator: Mouhamet Diop | Chair Afregistrar
Introduction: Bob Ochieng | New gTLD Subsequent Procedures Senior Director, ICANN
Panelists:
● Albert Kamga | ANTIC
● Hamza Aboulfeth | Genious Communication
● Franck Aguibi | Cloud4Africa11:50 – 12:0010 minutes break
12:00 – 12:30Coalition for Digital Africa update
This session will provide a brief update on the status of the Coalition projects and interact with the participants about the program.
June Okal, | ICANN12:30 - 13:00Geopolitical perspective
Elena Plexida | ICANN13:00 – 14:0060 minutes Lunch Break
14:00 – 15:30ICANN Community Updates
This session will be focused on receiving feedback / reports / status updates including from various Supporting Organizations and Advisory Committees on ongoing work, policy development processes, and hot topics relevant to Africa. It is an opportunity to invite the African community to participate on such topics and in working groups. This will be followed by brief updates from the Af*(organizations) leaders.
Moderator: Hadia Elminia, Chair AFRALO
Presenters: (5 minutes max per speaker)
ICANN SO/AC
● Christine Arida, Governmental Advisory COmmittee (GAC)
● Bukola Oronti I At-Large Advisory Committee (ALAC)
● Biyi Oladipo I Country Code Names Supporting Organization (ccNSO)
● Wisdom DOnkor I Noncommercial Users Constituency (NCUC)
● Caleb Ogundele I Not-for-Profit Operational Concerns Constituency (NPOC)
Other
● Brica Abbah I African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC):
● Nancy Dotse I African Network Operators Group (AFNOG)
● Mouhamet Diop I Association of ICANN Accredited Registrars in Africa (AfRegistrar)
● Africa Top Level Domains Organization (AFTLD)
● Dorcas Mutoni, Africa Women in Technology (AFCHIX)15:30 - 16:00Break
16:00 - 16:20Public Technical Identifiers (PTI) session
16:20 – 17:20Africa Community Forum
During this session, the audience will have a chance to engage ICANN org with a Q&A session touching on various topics of relevance to the African Community.
It’s an opportunity for the African community to have a deeper understanding and more focused engagement with the various ICANN functions.
Moderator: Yaovi Atohoun | ICANN Panelists:
● Catherine Adeya, ICANN Board Member
● Patrick Jones I VP, Global Stakeholder Engagement
● Baher Esmat | Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement - Middle East and Managing Director Middle East and Africa, ICANN
● Pierre Dandjinou | Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement - Africa, ICANN17:20 – 17:30Closing remarks
Moderator: Yaovi Atohoun | Stakeholder Engagement and Operations Director – Africa, ICANN
Speaker: Pierre Dandjinou | Vice President, Stakeholder Engagement – Africa, ICANN18:30Cocktail
Joining Information
ORGANIZER CONTACTS
| Full Name | Email Address | Phone Number | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yaovi Atohoun | yaovi.atohoun@icann.org | ICANN | |
| Magali Jean | magali.jean@icann.org | ICANN | |
| Yvette Quarshie | yaquashie@aau.org | +233244526766 | AAU (local contact) |
| Felicia Kuagbedzi | fnkrumah@aau.org | +233246425147 | AAU (local contact) |
| Abdul Manaf Sulemana | amsulemana@aau.org | +233267107410 | AAU (local contact) |
WEATHER
In December 2025, Accra's weather is expected to be hot and humid, with high temperatures and minimal rainfall
RECOMMENDED HOTELS
1. Movenpick Hotel - https://movenpick.accor.com/en/africa/ghana/accra/moevenpick-ambassador-hotel-accra.html
2. Marriot Hotel - https://bit.ly/3CncHh1
3. Fiesta Royale Hotel - https://fiestahospitality.com/
4. Accra City Hotel - https://www.accracityhotel.com/
5. Ibis Style - https://bit.ly/3MSiMGU
6. Holiday Inn - https://bit.ly/3P6JQoS
7. Africa Regent Hotel - https://www.theafricanregenthotel.com/
8. Lancaster Hotel - https://lancasteraccra.com/
9. The Congress Hotel -https://thecongresshotelghana.com/
10. Mensvic Grand Hotel - https://mensvichotels.com/
2. Marriot Hotel - https://bit.ly/3CncHh1
3. Fiesta Royale Hotel - https://fiestahospitality.com/
4. Accra City Hotel - https://www.accracityhotel.com/
5. Ibis Style - https://bit.ly/3MSiMGU
6. Holiday Inn - https://bit.ly/3P6JQoS
7. Africa Regent Hotel - https://www.theafricanregenthotel.com/
8. Lancaster Hotel - https://lancasteraccra.com/
9. The Congress Hotel -https://thecongresshotelghana.com/
10. Mensvic Grand Hotel - https://mensvichotels.com/
TIME
The time in Accra is GMT
CURRENCY EXCHANGE
The official currency of Ghana is the Ghana Cedi ₵ but you may find prices of items and services quoted in US Dollars, with the commercial exchange rate, being subject to change daily. There are banks and licensed currency exchange bureaus located at the airport and in the city. For more information on currency exchange rates, please visit: http://www.xe.com/. Most major credit cards (Visa/Mastercard) are universally accepted.
COMMUNICATION
Free wireless internet services will be provided during the conference. For other official communication costs (international phone call, etc.), please check telephone service charges with the hotel before use as participants shall pay for the related costs directly to the hotel before or upon. The organizers will not be held responsible for any loss or damage incurred.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE FROM ACCRA
Please check with your hotel. Some hotels provide complimentary airport shuttle service in accordance with your flight arrival and departure times in Accra at the Kotoka International Airport.
ACCOMMODATION
For booking accommodations, we kindly request participants to contact the hotels directly. Alternatively, if you have a sponsoring organization, please reach out to them for assistance with your booking arrangements.
IDENTIFICATION BADGES AND SECURITY
Participants will be given identification badges to be worn at all times during the engagement forum for security purposes. It is essential to note that hotels will strictly enforce this requirement. Additionally, participants are advised to keep their personal belongings secure and not leave them unattended. The organizers will not be held responsible for any loss or damage incurred.
VISA
Link to Ghana Immigration official visa page: https://gis.gov.gh/visas/
African DNS Forum
The Africa DNS Forum, organized by ICANN, the Africa Top Level Domain Organization, and the AfRegistrar Association, will feature technical and business discussions on DNS resilience, registry/registrar services, and innovation under the theme "Resiliency of the DNS in Africa." The Ghana Domain Name Registry will host the event. Visit https://dnsforum.africa/ for registration and more information
