- Cloud Innovation pushes for AFRINIC liquidation as governance collapse deepens
- ICANN faces criticism for overreach in Africa’s internet governance crisis
AFRINIC’s governance has collapsed
AFRINIC, the steward of Africa’s IP address resources, is at risk of becoming a failed registry. Years of governance issues, mismanagement, and legal entanglements have brought it to the brink of collapse. Despite being under court receivership since 2023, AFRINIC failed to conduct functional elections. In June 2025, its long-awaited election was abruptly annulled over a single disputed proxy, leading to the discarding of hundreds of valid votes—an event that triggered widespread outrage. This, critics argue, confirms that AFRINIC’s election standards have become fundamentally unworkable.
The annulment was not an isolated incident but part of a broader pattern of dysfunction. With no functioning board, no CEO, and no ability to deliver on its core mandate, AFRINIC has lost the trust of its members. This institutional paralysis now threatens Africa’s IP resource continuity and digital development.
Cloud Innovation’s case for a necessary reset
Cloud Innovation, AFRINIC’s third-largest member, has spent years engaging with the organisation through litigation and oversight. In 2025, it supported the election process and encouraged broad participation. However, when the June vote was thrown out despite valid submissions, Cloud Innovation concluded that democracy within AFRINIC had become “no longer workable.” Its assessment: elections are no longer a viable path forward within a broken system.
Consequently, Cloud Innovation filed a formal petition to liquidate AFRINIC. It described the move as a necessary reset, not an act of aggression. The company has asked ICANN and the NRO to immediately appoint a new RIR, aiming to safeguard Africa’s IP continuity. In its view, keeping AFRINIC alive in name only perpetuates governance failure.
Also read: Cloud Innovation supports ICANN’s move to derecognise AFRINIC, calls for successor to be immediately identified
Also read: ICANN’s quiet power grab: ICP-2 compliance document raises alarms amid AFRINIC crisis
ICANN’s quiet power grab raises alarms
As AFRINIC falters, ICANN has come under fire for what critics label a quiet power grab. Its interventions—such as pressuring the court-appointed receiver and urging election restarts—are being seen as undermining local judicial authority. Compounding this is the resurrection of the ICP-2 document, which allows ICANN to unilaterally derecognise regional registries—widely viewed as a power overreach.
CEO Kurtis Lindqvist argues ICANN must protect global internet resources. But critics say ICANN is attempting to pick AFRINIC’s leaders, bypassing the multistakeholder model it claims to support. The organisation’s mixed messaging—threatening derecognition one day, backtracking the next—reflects a strategy that’s more about control than stability.
Liquidation: Destruction or the only way forward?
Is liquidation the only way? Cloud Innovation believes so. Having invested in legal routes and democratic engagement, it argues that AFRINIC is beyond repair. The current receivership structure, intended to stabilise the registry, has only exposed deeper failures. The upcoming court response to its petition—expected on 24 July—could shape the continent’s internet future.
Opponents warn of external control, but supporters say a legal, court-supervised reset is the only viable alternative. AFRINIC’s continued collapse places Africa’s internet development at risk. Without a functioning registry or clear governance, Cloud Innovation contends, continuity can only be preserved through replacement—not reform.
