• Unverified proxy disputes and vote tampering remain a critical risk to the election’s legitimacy.
  • ICANN’s potential overreach threatens Africa’s bottom-up governance model and regional autonomy.

Unverified proxy disputes: A threat to election integrity

The previous AFRINIC election was marred by unverified proxy disputes, leading to the annulment of the election results and invalidating several votes. This raised significant concerns over the integrity of the voting process, as the lack of clear verification mechanisms left room for manipulation. The disputes further eroded trust in AFRINIC’s ability to conduct fair and transparent elections.

To avoid similar issues in the future, AFRINIC must overhaul its voting and proxy verification processes. Strong safeguards need to be put in place to ensure that all proxies are properly authenticated and all votes are counted. Transparency and independent oversight will be crucial in restoring confidence. Additionally, making election results publicly available for review would provide an extra layer of protection against fraudulent practices.

Also read: AFRINIC’s hidden scandal: How legal fees exposed a culture of corruption

ICANN’s overreach: Undermining regional autonomy

ICANN’s attempts to intervene in AFRINIC’s governance have sparked considerable concern within the African internet community. The push by ICANN to influence AFRINIC’s leadership selection process threatens to undermine the bottom-up governance model that has been central to Africa’s internet ecosystem. This interference is seen by many as a direct challenge to regional autonomy and a power grab that disregards Africa’s interests.

To preserve Africa’s digital sovereignty, stakeholders must actively resist any external attempts to interfere in AFRINIC’s governance. The election process must be carried out independently, with African stakeholders playing a central role. The focus should be on strengthening regional control over internet governance and ensuring decisions reflect the unique challenges and opportunities within Africa’s digital landscape.

Also read: Why AFRINIC’s election legitimacy matters for internet governance globally

Leadership accountability: The need for a change

The governance crisis at AFRINIC has largely been attributed to years of mismanagement by its current and past leadership. The cancellation of the 2025 election, due to unresolved proxy disputes, exposed the dysfunctionality of AFRINIC’s leadership and further eroded trust in the organisation. Given the continued leadership failures, it is clear that AFRINIC cannot continue with its current governance structure.

As a result, stakeholders should advocate for significant leadership changes. If AFRINIC fails to restore credibility, a new Regional Internet Registry (RIR) must be established to take over the responsibility of managing Africa’s IP resources. The NRO and ICANN must act swiftly to ensure a credible and efficient alternative is in place to support the continued development of Africa’s digital infrastructure.