Minister for Communication, Digital Technology and Innovations, Samuel Nartey George, has called for stronger African ownership of the continent’s digital identity as he opened the 2025 Africa Domain Name System Forum in Accra on Wednesday.
The event, held at the Accra International Conference Center and organised by the Ghana Domain Name Registry with support from AfTLD, AfRegistrar and ICANN, brought together registries, registrars, policymakers, cybersecurity experts, academics and private sector leaders.
Participants are examining ways to strengthen Africa’s DNS resilience with issues such as routing security, DNS abuse, harmonised regulations, online fraud prevention and business models that will make domain services more accessible.
Addressing the gathering, the Minister said Africa must move decisively to secure and expand its digital presence. He warned that the continent’s low number of registered domain names continues to undermine its visibility, competitiveness and sovereignty in the global digital economy.
“With over 1.3 billion people, Africa cannot continue to have only a few million registered domains,” he said. “If we are to define our digital identity, secure our online space and participate meaningfully in the global digital economy, we must strengthen our control of the digital foundations that shape our future.”
He described the Domain Name System as the Internet’s address book and a strategic asset that supports e government, digital commerce, fintech, education, healthcare and innovation. Africa’s limited participation in the global DNS, he said, weakens its ability to protect its online presence and benefit fully from digital opportunities.
The Minister reaffirmed Ghana’s commitment to building a secure and inclusive digital future, highlighting ongoing efforts to strengthen the dot gh namespace, expand connectivity, reinforce cybersecurity and promote local content.
“Every dot gh domain is a declaration of who we are and our readiness for digital business,” he said.
He stressed that Africa’s young people must be at the centre of this transformation. “Africa’s youth are not just consumers of the Internet, they must be architects of the Internet’s future in Africa,” he noted.
He urged African nations to deepen collaboration, invest in talent and build trusted digital infrastructure that protects the continent’s place in the global Internet ecosystem.
The forum continues with high level dialogues and technical sessions focused on accelerating domain adoption and enhancing Africa’s digital resilience.
