On Wednesday, 31 July 2025, the leadership of AF* participated in a meeting convened by Smart AFRICA to gain insight into the work of the Ad-hoc Committee on AFRINIC reforms.
During this constructive two-hour discussion, AF* leadership engaged with the technical advisor and two legal experts supporting the committee.
AF* leadership articulated concerns about the approach and methodology employed, as well as the absence of publicly accessible information regarding the problem statement and the Ad-hoc Committee’s charter. Additionally, they noted that the predominance of certain parties could potentially create a negative perception within the community.
The AF* leadership reaffirmed that AFRINIC is a community-driven organization operating on a bottom-up and consensus-based multi-stakeholder model, which must be upheld at all costs. They asserted that the multi-stakeholder model should not only be reflected in the committee’s composition but also its methods and modus operandi.
They expressed their unwavering commitment to support this initiative as long as it aligns with the principles mentioned above.
Looking ahead, the upcoming African Internet Summit, just a few weeks away, presents a unique opportunity for the community to discuss the future of AFRINIC and the Internet on the continent.
AF* wishes to remind the community that, despite the numerous challenges, the AFRINIC community has persisted through a bottom-up and consensus-driven multi-stakeholder approach, thereby preserving AFRINIC.
– In response to pressure and attempts to force a rapid runout of AFRINIC IPv4 pool to impose a market, the community through the bottom-up and consensus based policy development process imposed the soft landing on the IPv4 pool which allows AFRINIC to continue to allocate IPv4 to new comers and strategic projects till now.
– In light of pressure and attempts to impose a not well thought out inter-RIR transfer policy which would allow number resources to move in and out of the region, the community through the bottom-up and consensus based policy development process imposed a stepwise approach which included, an only intra-RIR transfer followed by an inter-RIR transfer policy where only a certain categories of IPv4 are allowed to exit the region.
– The community consistently comes together to engage in discussions about AFRINIC.
The African Internet Summit (AIS) continues to take place, even without the usual crucial contributions and participation from AFRINIC Ltd, providing a public forum for exchange and discussion regarding the future. AIS 2023 was held in Johannesburg, and AIS 2024 was held in Mauritius. The number resource registry functions were among the principal topics discussed by participants from various constituencies.
– During challenging times, the community ran “fundraising & Donations campaigns” to keep AFRINIC running.
We Must Join Together for AFRINIC’s Future, learn from mistakes, strengthen our Multi-stakeholder, bottom-up and consensus-based approach and move forward.
AF* secretariat
Tuesday 5 August 2025