AFRINIC designated a ‘declared company’ by Prime Minister of Mauritius

• AFRINIC’s designation under national interest laws triggers a formal investigation into mismanagement, election failures, and halted IP address allocation.
• The move follows annulled elections, legal disputes, and the registry’s inability to serve Africa’s internet infrastructure for eight months.

The Prime Minister of Mauritius has issued a General Notice designating AFRINIC, the internet registry for Africa, as a a ‘declared company’.

Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam issued the notice on July 18, 2025, thrusting the years-long saga that has involved corruption, abuse of power, mismanagement, and a litany of lawsuits even deeper into the political spotlight.

In the notice, the Prime Minister names the failure of the two court-appointed receivers to fulfil their tasks to process an election, recognises that no new IP addresses have been allocated through AFRINIC since November 2024, and enjoins the Registrar of Companies to investigate the affairs of the company and produce a report. See also: AFRINIC designated a ‘declared company’ by Prime Minister of Mauritius.

By designating the company a declared company, the Prime Minister is invoking a formal classification made under the Companies Act. It essentially identifies the issues happening within AFRINIC as of national interest, and is likely to further increase the scrutiny the organisation is under. See also: AfriNIC's Vanishing Member register.

The key implications include:

Enhanced oversight – the company may become subject to more rigorous monitoring or regulatory control.

Restricted disclosure or investigation – certain types of investigations into such companies might require special authorization.

Legal protections – the designation may limit the disclosure of sensitive information related to the company in public or court proceedings.

The full notice is reproduced below.

Failed AFRINIC elections

AFRINIC held elections in June 2025 in an attempt to resume some form of order for the embattled internet registry, that has been operating without a CEO or board of directors for the past three years.

Those elections were suspended and then annulled after election officials violated privacy and confidentiality agreements. That a single disputed vote was able to annul an entire election, with hundreds of legitimate votes thrown out, has been a point of contention for many resource holders, one of whom has petitioned for the registry to be dissolved.

DECLARED COMPANY – NOTICE UNDER SECTION 230 OF THE COMPANIES ACT

WHEREAS African Network Information Centre (AfriNIC) Ltd (in receivership) (the “Company”) is a company limited by guarantee incorporated and based in Mauritius;

WHEREAS the Company is the designated Regional Internet Registry for the African continent;

WHEREAS I am reliably informed that the Company has been the object of a spate of litigation, leading to it being placed in receivership in or about 2024;

WHEREAS I have taken cognizance of a Notice in the press dated 10 July 2025, whereby the Company is purportedly being the object of a compulsory winding-up petition;

WHEREAS I am advised that the process leading to the Company being placed in receivership is legally questionable;

WHEREAS I am informed that the 2 receivers successively appointed have failed to effectively discharge their mission of conducting the election of a Board for the Company within timeframes imparted by the Courts;

WHEREAS I am informed that the result of the Company being placed in receivership has been that no new internet protocol address was able to be issued to the whole of the African continent since November 2024;

WHEREAS this state of affairs has caused, and is continuing to cause, serious reputational damage to Mauritius as a jurisdiction internationally;

WHEREAS based on the above, I am satisfied that pursuant to section 230(b) of the Companies Act, it is expedient, in the public interest, that the affairs of the Company be investigated forthwith,

NOW THEREFORE, in virtue of section 230 of the Companies Act, I hereby designate the Company to be a declared company.

I ALSO ENJOIN the Registrar of Companies, pursuant to her powers under section 231(1) of the Companies Act to immediately require a suitably-qualified inspector to investigate the affairs of the Company and to make a report on his investigation in such form and manner as the Registrar may direct.

DR. N. RAMGOOLAM, G.C.S.K., F.R.C.P. Prime Minister, Minister of Defence, Home Affairs and External Communications, Minister of Finance, Minister for Rodrigues and Outer Islands.