- AFRINIC’s decision to cancel its June 23 election over a single proxy vote dispute highlights the system’s collapse.
- Cloud Innovation calls for AFRINIC’s dissolution, pushing ICANN and the NRO to appoint a new regional registry.
Election annulment shows AFRINIC’s governance has collapsed
On 23 June 2025, AFRINIC, the African Network Information Centre, cancelled its board election due to a proxy dispute involving a single vote. This decision highlighted how fragile the institution’s governance has become.
Now, with new elections planned for September, we need to ask if this kind of incident reveals a system unable to tolerate minor procedural uncertainty.
Observers widely viewed this annulment as the final signal that AFRINIC’s governance standards have become unworkable. The rejection of valid votes and abandonment of the democratic process further damaged the institution’s legitimacy. The accumulated governance failures over several years have culminated in a structure that no longer functions as a credible steward of Africa’s IP address space.
The result is a governance environment where trust has eroded to a critical low, and where any effort to correct or reform processes is obstructed by internal paralysis. The board election, expected to restore basic functionality, instead reinforced perceptions of irreparable dysfunction.
Also read: Cloud Innovation calls for AFRINIC wind-up after ‘impossible’ election standards
Also read: EXPOSED: The letter that reveals who was really benefitting from AFRINIC’s lawsuits
ICANN’s role raises fears of a power grab
As AFRINIC loses control, ICANN has begun asserting more influence. Many in the African internet community believe ICANN now seeks to control regional internet governance. They see this shift as a threat to bottom-up decision-making.
ICANN introduced a new compliance document that added to ICP-2. It enables the organisation to revoke the recognition of regional registries. The African community received no prior consultation or vote. Although ICANN later stepped back from immediate action, the initial attempt caused distrust.This pattern suggests that ICANN is consolidating authority rather than respecting regional autonomy. Stakeholders fear that global organisations will bypass community oversight in future governance decisions.
Cloud Innovation pushes for new regional internet registry
Cloud Innovation, AFRINIC’s third-largest member, has issued a formal call to dissolve the registry. The company stated that AFRINIC’s structure no longer functions. It urged ICANN and the NRO to appoint a new Regional Internet Registry for Africa.
Support for this proposal continues to grow. Stakeholders believe AFRINIC’s internal systems cannot be repaired. They argue that reform efforts have failed. The community now views a clean transition as the only path forward.
This movement reflects wider concerns about how Africa governs digital infrastructure. The AFRINIC crisis shows how weak governance can harm regional progress. Stakeholders must now decide whether the current model fits Africa’s technical and geopolitical needs.
