The four-long battle for who manages the dot Africa has come to an end last month which means in June you should you should be able to register your .africa (dotAfrica) domain. Two firms South African ZA Central Registry and Kenya-based Dot Connect Africa have been battling in court over who should be the official ICANN-accredited registry of the domain. The South African company won the case.
According to a statement released by ZA Central Registry (ZACR), the .Africa domain name for brand owners offers “an opportunity to forge a unique online identity which will associate your products, services and/or information with the continent and people of Africa”.
ZACR is now accepting applications for its .Africa Pioneer Program from leading businesses, civil society and other interested parties.
The Pioneer Program aims to generate brand awareness and visibility for the newly launched generic Top Level Domain (gTLD).
Successful applicants will be subject to certain terms and conditions and given preferential access to an approved .Africa domain name prior to General Availability. The latter phase is when the general public can register .Africa domains from 04 July 2017.
“The Pioneer Programme is a golden opportunity for interested parties to further cement their association or affiliation with the African continent, says Lucky Masilela, CEO of ZACR NPC. “An approved .Africa domain name will enable companies to showcase their brand and its commitment to the continent while establishing a home for Africa-specific products and services.”
ZACR said also added that the sunrise period for registrations, which opened earlier this month, closes on 2 June. After the 60-day period that favours registered and recognised brand owners, the dotAfrica domain name registration will be opened to the general public from 4 July. It said, domain names would also be registered on a first come first served basis.
Until June 2 2017, dotAfrica domain name registration is only open to businesses that have registered their trademark. If you are an African business with a registered trademark, this is your chance to beat the rush and reserve your domain.
Who should apply for .Africa domain?
Having a .Africa could be a cool thing but it’s not for everyone. You should contemplate buying a dot africa domain if;
- You are a pan-African organization e.g EconetWireless.africa
- Digital market place targeting the whole african continent e.g Deeplegue.africa
- Media company targeting African audience e.g Techunzipped.africa
- An artiste whose work has an African appeal e.g JP.africa
How much are dotAfrica domains
The official price of the .Africa domain is not yet out. However, reserve/registering your domains for approved companies from $399 .And after 2 June , will be available at a cut-rate price of just $18 to anyone on the continent.
For more information on the Pioneer Programme Terms and Conditions and the Application Form, visit nic.africa. Applications will close on 15 May 2017.
