Press Release: Africa Engagement Forum Opens in Accra, Strengthening Regional Collaboration on Internet Governance

ACCRA – 09 December 2025 – The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) today opened the Africa Engagement Forum in Accra, Ghana. Organized by ICANN and hosted by the Association of African Universities (AAU), the forum brings together a wide range of stakeholders to align on regional priorities and advance Africa’s role in global Internet governance.

The event focuses on critical levers for digital growth and will feature practical updates from ICANN, progress on Universal Acceptance, regional readiness for the New Generic Top-Level Domains (gTLD) Program: Next Round, and ongoing work under the Coalition for Digital Africa. Community perspectives and open discussions with ICANN organization leaders are a core part of the program.

“Africa’s Internet growth depends on collaboration and steady investment in technical readiness,” said Pierre Dandjinou, ICANN Vice President, Global Stakeholder Engagement, Africa. “This forum brings the right people into the room to talk about what’s going well, what needs attention, and where we can make real progress. The aim is simple: stronger regional participation in ICANN processes, more resilient Domain Name System operations, and a clearer path for innovation across the continent.”

The forum is followed tomorrow by the Africa DNS Forum, organized by ICANN with the Africa Top Level Domains Organization, the AfRegistrar Association, and the Ghana Domain Name Registry. That event will take a closer look at DNS resilience, registry and registrar operations, and the technical and business issues shaping the region’s domain name industry.

“Universities play a central role in shaping Africa’s digital future and developing the core expertise required for its management,” said Professor Olusola Oyewole, Secretary-General of the AAU. “Hosting this forum reflects our commitment to ensuring that the next generation of engineers, policymakers, and innovators understand and contribute to the systems that keep the Internet running. We are pleased to partner with ICANN to support conversations that build technical skills and strengthen Africa’s voice in global Internet governance.”

The Africa Engagement Forum underlines a shared commitment to broad, multistakeholder collaboration and to supporting a stable and resilient Internet across Africa.

Registration, session materials, and updates are available at https://www.icann.org/africa-forums.

About ICANN

ICANN’s mission is to help ensure a stable, secure, and unified global Internet. To reach another person on the Internet, you need to type an address – a name or a number – into your computer or other device. That address must be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN helps coordinate and support these unique identifiers across the world. ICANN was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit public benefit corporation with a community of participants from all over the world.

About the Association of African Universities

The Association of African Universities is an international non-profit, non-governmental organization created by African Universities to promote cooperation among them on the one hand, and between them and the international academic community on the other. Created in 1967, the AAU is the voice of higher education in Africa. AAU aims to improve the quality of African higher education and to strengthen its contribution to Africa’s development by supporting the core functions of higher education institutions and facilitating critical reflection and consensus building on issues affecting higher education in Africa. Visit our website to learn more about the AAU and its initiatives.

Media Contacts

Luna Madi
Senior Communications Director, EMEA
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN)
Mobile: +90 (533) 031 35 05
Email: luna.madi@icann.org
or press@icann.org

Mrs. Millicent Afriyie Adjei

Communication Specialist

Association of African Universities

Email: makyei@aau.org