ICANN recognised AFRINIC, but then turned away

ICANN recognised AFRINIC, but then turned away is profiled by BTW Media because published evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

• AFRINIC was formally recognised by ICANN as the Regional Internet Registry (RIR) for Africa in 2005.
• Its recognition was built on regional collaboration, community-driven governance, and alignment with global internet management standards.

The path to AFRINIC’s establishment

Before AFRINIC existed, African organisations relied on other Regional Internet Registries like RIPE NCC and APNIC to receive IP resources. This created challenges: longer response times, limited local support, and lack of regional representation. Recognising Africa’s growing internet needs, stakeholders across the continent began organising in the late 1990s to form an Africa-focused registry.

Also read: Could a public audit save AFRINIC from collapse?
Also read: How AFRINIC’s board elections became a political battlefield

Building a regional consensus

From 1997 to 2004, African network operators, governments, and technical community leaders worked together to develop AFRINIC. Workshops, meetings, and consultations across multiple African countries helped shape its mission, governance structure, and operational model. A key priority was ensuring AFRINIC reflected Africa’s specific needs—balancing technical excellence with multilingual support, capacity building, and accessibility.

Meeting ICANN’s recognition requirements

To gain ICANN recognition as a Regional Internet Registry, AFRINIC had to meet strict requirements set out under ICANN’s ICP-2 framework. This included demonstrating regional support, showing operational readiness, establishing fair policy-making processes, and proving financial sustainability. AFRINIC’s community-led governance model was especially important, as it aligned with ICANN’s commitment to bottom-up, multistakeholder principles.

Formal recognition in 2005

In April 2005, AFRINIC was officially recognised by ICANN as the fifth RIR, alongside ARIN, RIPE NCC, APNIC, and LACNIC. This milestone marked a turning point for Africa’s internet development, enabling local control over IP address allocation, ASN assignment, and network resource management. The decision was widely supported by the Number Resource Organization (NRO), other RIRs, and the global internet community.

Why ICANN recognition matters

ICANN recognition granted AFRINIC authority over Africa’s IP address space, meaning African operators no longer depended on external registries. It also gave Africa a formal seat at global internet governance tables, strengthening the continent’s voice in policy discussions. For local ISPs, universities, governments, and enterprises, AFRINIC’s presence meant faster service, regional expertise, and direct engagement on infrastructure challenges.

AFRINIC’s role today

Since gaining recognition, AFRINIC has provided IPv4, IPv6, and ASN allocations, delivered training, supported community networks, and promoted digital inclusion initiatives. It also organises public policy meetings where stakeholders help shape internet resource management rules.

But either through lack of foresight or lack of being provided with the required resources, AFRINIC is now on the cusp of being a failed registry.

ICANN has apparently turned its back on the RIR, writing in July 2025 that it was at risk of being given a compliance review. This means ICANN saw enough going wrong in the registry to formerly warn it that it was at risk of being derecognised.

AFRINIC election 2025

The elections in June 2025 were meant to return the registry to something resembling normality. After years of operating without a board or CEO, all of whom had been either barred from performing their duties by the Supreme Court of Mauritius, or had their contracts expire, these elections were a chance to reset, and deliver the services Africa’s internet community needed.

But when an election committee member removed ballots from the room and called a resource holder to ask about a power of attorney that had provided, contravening AFRINIC:s own election bylaws, AFRINIC’s flaws came to the fore again. The election was annulled, and still we wait to see how this will turn out.

ICANN is certainly not blameless. In recognising an RIR they also have a responsibility to that region’s community, to provide the RIR with the support and resources they need to deliver the services. It appears ICANN shut the door and turned away.