ICANN | Partnership to Grow Internet Information in African Nations

Partnership to Grow Internet Information in African Nations

ICANN, African Telecommunications Union sign agreement to work together

14 November 2007

RIO DE JANEIRO: Increasing awareness about Internet Governance issues and working together on the development and growth of the Internet in Africa are part of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) [PDF, 193K] signed by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers and the African Telecommunications Union (ATU).

"It is clear there are issues where we can accomplish so much more by working together — even as simple a step as sharing information can have a large benefit for both sides in this MoU," said Dr Paul Twomey, ICANN’s President and CEO. "The Internet is all about sharing ideas and information — and this MoU is signed in that spirit."

The MoU is based on a number of common goals, including:

That there is a need for increased awareness of African policy makers and regulators on issues related to Internet governance;
That there is a need to increase understanding and to build the capacity of African policy makers and regulators on Internet technical and policy issues;
That there is a need to strengthen the communication channel with African policy makers and regulators in order to disseminate information on issues related to Internet Governance;
That African governments should play an appropriate role in Internet governance at national, regional and international levels;
That African governments should set appropriate frameworks for public policy issues related to Internet governance with the objective to promote the development and the growth of the Internet in the Africa region.

"ATU is the leading continental organization fostering the development of information and communication technologies infrastructure and services, and as such we are looking for partnerships that help us advance the interests of our members at global decision-making fora like ICANN," said Akossi Akossi, Secretary General of the African Telecommunications Union.

ICANN and at ATU have agreed to:

To regularly exchange information and material related to Internet governance issues.
To organize, as often as possible, joint workshops and seminars for the purpose of disseminating information and increasing the understanding of African policy makers and regulators on issues related to Internet governance.
To co-operate as far as reasonably possible in matters relating to the development and the growth of the Internet in the African region with a view to fostering evolvement of appropriate polices and regulations by exchanging experience and relevant material.

About ICANN:

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet's system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet's operation, so ICANN's global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet's ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organized, public benefit non-profit company. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.

Media Contacts:

Jason Keenan
Media Adviser, ICANN (USA)
Ph: +1 310 382 4004
E: jason.keenan@icann.org

International: Andrew Robertson
Edelman (London)
Ph: +44 7921 588 770
E: andrew.robertson@edelman.com