Nigeria Attains Full Control of .ng ccTLD

After a long process, Nigeria has now gained full local management of the ccTLD (country code Top Level Domain) .ng, representing Nigeria. On May 13, Versign performed the root server changes, approved by ICANN, that effectively turned over control of the ccTLD to the Internet Registration Association of Nigeria (NIRA).

The entire process began in 1995 when administrative access was granted to Ibukun Odusote. Then finally, in 2004, the Nigerian Internet community reached a consensus that a non-profit non-governmental organization, the NIRA, would manage the .ng ccTLD. The move required establshing the necessary infrastructure to support localized management of the ccTLD, something unparalleled anywhere else on the continent of Africa.

Africa has severely lagged behind in the Information Age when most western countries have dominated the web infrastructure and management of ccTLDs. NIRA intends to aggressively populate the .ng ccTLD into the top 20 worldwide by the year 2011. Domain registration will be open to both organizations and individuals in Nigeria.

Source: This Day Online
Photo: Flickr