Why this matters
A symbolic signing for .Africa took place during our ICANN Public Meeting in Singapore. The signing of .Africa is significant because it is the first Registry Agreement signed between ICANN and an African gTLD registry operator. For more information on new gTLD program visit newgtlds.icann.org.
At ICANN 49 in Singapore today Akram Atallah, president of ICANN's Global Domains Division (GDD) and Lucky Masilela, CEO of ZA Central Registry (ZACR) participated in a symbolic signing ceremony that allows the new gTLD ".Africa" to proceed to delegation. This marks the first Registry Agreement signed between ICANN and an African gTLD registry operator. A contingency representing the African Union Commission, dotAfrica, and ZADNA (domain name authority of South Africa) were in attendance, as well as several ZACR and ICANN staff members.