ICANN manager for Nigeria Internet forum

Regional manager for Africa at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Ms Anne Rachel Inne, has confirmed participation at the 2010 edition of the Nigeria Internet Governace Forum.

ICANN was created by the late Jon Postel in the fall of 1998 in response to a policy statement issued by the US Department of Commerce and ever since, has continued to serve the global internet community as a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers.

Disclosing this last weekend, she said, that the event scheduled to hold on Friday, April 16 in Lagos, is a crucial one that should be encouraged by all well-meaning stakeholders who has an electronic mail and uses the internet, hence she resolved to ensure active participation of her agency.

Confirming this, the organizers of the event through its Executive Director, Operations, Digital Sense Africa (DSA), Mrs. Nkemdilim Nweke said that it is heart-warming to have ICANN African office support the forum meant to generate enlightenment and spur opinions with focuse on Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and Internet Governance in particular.

She also said that the ICANN manager would be offering some insights into what the global internet coordinating agency has been doing and what the future looks like.

According to the DSA boss, Ms Anne would be dwelling on ‘ICANN Update’ at the one-day forum, which is on its second year and being supported by the likes of MTN Nigeria, Teledom Group, Omatek as well as industry groups including the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Nigeria Internet Exchange Point Limited, Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON) and Association of Licensed Telecom Operators of Nigeria (ALTON) to name a few.

Further, she disclosed that the forum to be held at the Golden Gate Ikoyi-Lagos and would be presided over by the President, Internet Service Providers Association of Nigeria (ISPAN) Chief Samuel Adeleke, who doubles as the chairman of Steineng Group.

Meanwhile she noted that the Nigeria’s first Information Technology (IT) youth ambassador and Executive Director, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), Mr. Gbenga Sesan has been slated to tackle the menace of cybercrime among Nigerian youths at the 2010 Internet Governance billed for Lagos, next month.

Commenting on the development, Mr. Sesan said that his organization is concerned over the unprecedented increase of Nigerian youths on cybercrime, thus they are interested in proffering solutions to move the nation forward.

The forum being put together by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Digital Sense Africa (DSA) to sensitize populace in the country, he said, is crucial, especially its theme: Five Years of IGF: The Way Forward for Nigeria.

Equally, he said, more outcome of the research conducted by PIN would be unveiled at the occasion, urging Nigerians, both old and young to come and learn and know where to join forces in the fight against online crimes in the country.

He maintained that Nigerians are brilliant and energetic set of people that should not allow the negative aspect of technology to take over their thinking cap.

ITREALMS Online ... delivering news for ICT4D