- AFRINIC’s failure to conduct fair elections has eroded trust and threatened the management of Africa’s IP resources.
- ICANN’s overreach and Cloud Innovation’s calls for AFRINIC’s dissolution signal a need for a new approach to regional internet governance.
AFRINIC’s unworkable election standards
The ongoing governance crisis at AFRINIC has reached a critical juncture, with the registry’s inability to run fair and transparent elections posing a severe risk to Africa’s digital future. AFRINIC’s repeated failure to uphold democratic election standards has damaged trust in its management of Africa’s IP resources.
By dismissing legitimate votes and allowing controversial practices to persist, AFRINIC has showcased the unworkable nature of its electoral system. This lack of accountability has left the organisation in a state of dysfunction, unable to ensure fair representation for its members. These failures directly threaten Africa’s control over its internet infrastructure, jeopardising its digital sovereignty. With each election marred by controversy, the credibility of AFRINIC continues to deteriorate, undermining its ability to manage Africa’s IP resources and safeguard the continent’s digital future.
Also read: AFRINIC’s hidden scandal: How legal fees exposed a culture of corruption
Also read: Proxy voting reforms for AFRINIC: What a fair model should look like
External forces and the call for a reset
The crisis at AFRINIC is exacerbated by external pressures, particularly from ICANN. Under CEO Kurtis Lindqvist, ICANN’s attempts to intervene in AFRINIC’s governance process signal a worrying shift away from its neutral, multistakeholder role. By pushing to influence AFRINIC’s leadership selection and bypassing established governance processes, ICANN is overextending its reach and threatening Africa’s bottom-up internet governance model.
These actions have sparked backlash, particularly from Cloud Innovation Ltd., one of AFRINIC’s largest and most influential members. Cloud Innovation has led the charge for AFRINIC’s dissolution, arguing that the registry’s failures are beyond repair and calling for an immediate reset in Africa’s internet governance. They have demanded that ICANN and the NRO (Number Resource Organization) immediately appoint a new Regional Internet Registry (RIR) to ensure Africa’s digital sovereignty and safeguard the proper management of the continent’s IP resources.
With the stakes higher than ever, this crisis presents an urgent need for reform. The current governance model, marked by dysfunction and external overreach, is not sustainable. The time has come for Africa to reclaim control over its digital future, and a new, independent RIR could be the solution to stabilise and strengthen the continent’s position in the global internet ecosystem.
