Ministers responsible for Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and the Digital Economy from African countries convened virtually on Sunday in Nairobi for an extraordinary high-level consultative meeting to address the ongoing legal challenges facing AFRINIC, Africa’s Regional Internet Registry (RIR).
Organized by the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) under the leadership of Sid Ali Zerrouki, Chair of the ATU Conference of Plenipotentiaries and Algeria’s Minister of Post and Telecommunications, the meeting concluded with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration on Sustaining AFRINIC’s Operations and Africa’s Internet Stability.
Since its accreditation in 2005, AFRINIC has been pivotal in allocating Internet Protocol (IP) resources—including IPv4, IPv6, and Autonomous System Numbers—to ISPs, governments, academia, and infrastructure providers across Africa. The ongoing legal paralysis threatens the continent’s digital ecosystem and operational backbone.
In their declaration, the Ministers reaffirmed their commitment to preserving AFRINIC’s stability and continuity, underscoring its vital role in Africa’s digital transformation and regional internet governance autonomy. They pledged support for an inclusive, constructive resolution to AFRINIC’s governance challenges, while respecting the independence of the Mauritian judiciary.
The Ministers emphasized that AFRINIC’s future decisions must prioritize Africa’s collective interests through broad-based multistakeholder dialogue.
