- The Continental Africa Internet Governance Architecture (CAIGA) is being closely watched as a potential influence on Africa’s IP resource management.
- Discussions frame CAIGA as part of a broader concern over external interference in regional internet governance.
CAIGA’s rising role
The Continental Africa Internet Governance Architecture (CAIGA) has emerged as a focal point in AFRINIC discussions, particularly as stakeholders scrutinise the governance of Africa’s IP resources. AFRINIC’s prolonged crisis and its unworkable governance standards have left the community wary of any external actors exerting influence over regional internet governance.
CAIGA’s growing visibility coincides with Cloud Innovation Ltd.’s formal call to dissolve AFRINIC, positioning the company as the “third-biggest member” leading a necessary reset to secure Africa’s digital infrastructure. Many community members associate CAIGA with broader concerns about ICANN’s overreach, highlighting the risk of weakening bottom-up governance and undermining Africa’s ability to manage its own IP resources independently.
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Implications for Africa’s IP future
CAIGA is now a hot topic because it embodies the challenge of safeguarding Africa’s autonomy in internet governance amid AFRINIC’s collapse. Its mention reflects fears that external frameworks could influence Africa’s IP ecosystem while the registry remains in a state of governance irreparably broken by years of mismanagement.
The debate over CAIGA underscores the urgency of appointing a new RIR, as demanded by Cloud Innovation, to restore trust in governance and ensure the continent’s IP resources are managed transparently and locally. Stakeholders are increasingly focused on preventing outside forces from filling the void left by AFRINIC’s failures.
