Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum communiqué forum on Internet Governance,
Thursday, November 5, 2009,
Golden Gate, Ikoyi-Lagos, Nigeria.
Theme: “Internet Governance: Creating
Opportunities for All Nigerians”
We, the participants of the Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum held at the
Golden Gate Ikoyi-Lagos on “Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All
Nigerians” on Thursday, November 5, 2009, organized by DigitalSENSE
Africa (DSA) an initiative of Remnek Kommunications Ventures
(RKV) in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC),
under the chairmanship of Chief Chima Onyekwere, Executive Chairman, Linkserve
Limited.
We call to mind that a harmonized voice within the Nigerian
Internet community is critical to the development of Internet in the country
and the sub-region and the continent in entirety.
Also, we call to mind that harmonized voice among Nigerian
Internet community will provide Nigeria the opportunity to have a united front
before confronting the world at the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) scheduled to
hold in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt between November 15 and 18, 2009.
The forum identified security as a major issue of concern for the
Nigerian Internet community.
Additionally, we call to mind that the global Internet Governance
Forum afforded the Nigerian Internet community to come together alongside other
communities from around the world to ensure optimization of Access, Openness,
Security, Diversity and Internet Governance.
Equally, we call to mind that the release recently by the United
States’ Affirmation of Commitment to the global internet community via the
Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN); is a
welcome development that could endear the trust of those hitherto not
comfortable with the arrangement which began with the US Department of Commerce
(DoC).
Hence, in alignment with the outcome of the West
African Internet Governance forum, held in Accra-Ghana, especially in the areas of
encouraging African countries to take the issues of
Internet Governance more seriously by ensuring engagement of stakeholders at
IGF level.
Therefore:
1. It was agreed that
members of the Nigeria Internet community must be encouraged to participate at
the forthcoming Internet Governance Forum and actively too.
2. Make pronouncement with
respect to the security of the Internet and discrimination thereof, especially
meted out on honest and God fearing Nigerians who are more interested in
engaging positively with the world on the Internet.
3. The discrimination
against Nigeria’s based Internet Protocol (IP) address should stop because
it is negatively affecting the majority of Nigerians who are confidently
engaged on the Internet.
4. Both the government of
Nigeria and Internet community in the country should strive in enlightening the
populace and the world over on the keenness of the majority of Nigerians in
deploying Internet for ICT for Development (ICT4D) growth.
5. Nigeria’s Internet
Service Providers (ISPs), especially members of the ISPAssociation
of Nigeria (ISPAN),
Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) and
Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON),
should connect without further delay with the Internet Exchange Point of
Nigeria (IXPN),
so as to encourage local internet to remain local, which has multiplier effect,
including saving money for both the ISPs and customers – the end-users.
6. Nigeria should canvass
for a root server to be located in the country to further push and retain local
traffic locally.
7. Also, members of the ISP
Association of Nigeria (ISPAN), Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of
Nigeria (ALTON) and Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria (ATCON), should
ensure compliance by ensuring registration of their domains in the country code
Top Level Domains (ccTLD), .ng.
8. This will make the .ng
commercially viable and eventually give the ccTLD the need popularity it needed
to be feasible among equals.
9. Nigerian participants at
the IGF 2009 must ensure that alienation of Nigeria’s IP address (IP blocking)
is stopped and that Nigeria has the population to push its desire and voice to
be heard in Egypt and at all conferences in relation to Internet and its
governance even beyond IGF.
10. There is need to refocus
Nigerian youths engaged in online fraud (cybercrime) otherwise known as ‘Yahoo,
Yahoo’ by way of granting them amnesty followed with skilled training and
adoption into the mainstream, in order to positively utilize their talents.
Enjoining Nigerian stakeholders to:
1. Ensure maximum participation at all times, at Internet Governance
related forum.
2. Strengthening the partnership of the forum through collaboration
with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agency of government, mostly at the
federal level including the National Information Technology Development Agency
(NITDA),
Galaxy Backbone (GBB) Plc, National Broadcasting Commission
(NBC)
among other public private partnership.
The Nigeria DigitalSENSE forum was proudly supported by Galaxy Backbone Plc,
MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, iWayAfrica Nigeria, New Horizons Ltd,
Omatek Plc, Teledom Group, Telecom Answers Associates (TAA) and endorsed by
Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Nigeria Internet Group (NIG),
Internet Exchange Point of Nigeria (IXPN), Association of Licensed Telecom
Operators of Nigeria (ALTON), Association of Telecom Companies of Nigeria
(ATCON) among others.
DigitalSENSE Africa, November 10, 2009
For full story: ITRealms Online
... Making sense out of digital revolution!
No comments:
Post a Comment