Three Years On: From Coordination to Implementation

Three years after its launch, the Coalition for Digital Africa continues its coordinated technical work across the continent. This moment offers an opportunity to take stock of what has been delivered and to look ahead.

Track 1: Robust DNS Infrastructure

Strengthening the Domain Name System (DNS) remains central to the Coalition’s work. Through the deployment of two operational root server clusters in Nairobi (November 2022) and Cairo (October 2023), root server capacity has been brought closer to users on the continent. Approximately 77 percent of Africa’s queries to the L-Root are now served by the two clusters. Prior to deployment, an estimated 35–40 percent of these queries were resolved outside Africa, meaning a significant share of traffic now remains on the continent.

In addition, two L-Single-instances hosted in Libya and South Africa have further increased the share of root server queries resolved locally. This work strengthens the security and stability of the DNS across participating countries and reinforces regional resilience.

DNS security has progressed through structured Domain Name System Security Extensions  (DNSSEC) roadshows and follow-up deployment support. The country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) of Cameroon, Burkina Faso, and Burundi are now DNSSEC-active, with engagement continuing with other African ccTLDs and future deployments underway. Expansion to additional ccTLDs is planned in collaboration with the Africa Telecommunications Union. Hands-on testing, documentation, and operational mentoring have supported sustained implementation rather than one-off activation.

Internet Exchange Point strengthening projects in Benin, Malawi, Rwanda, and Madagascar have supported local routing of traffic, reducing unnecessary international dependency.

Track 2: Meaningful Connectivity

Connectivity alone does not ensure that email systems, websites, and related Internet-enabled applications function as intended. Systems must recognize domain names and email addresses across scripts and languages, and local traffic should remain within local networks where possible. This track addresses those operational gaps.

Universal Acceptance (UA) implementation has expanded across African higher-education institutions. More than 300 universities now operate UA-compliant email systems, and over 130 university websites are UA-ready. UA has been integrated into the academic curricula of several institutions, bringing interoperable standards directly into technical training.

Under the UA and Email Address Internationalization Readiness initiative, email readiness increased from 282 to 302 institutions, while website readiness rose from 54 to 145. Workshops in Ghana, Namibia, and Morocco trained ICT representatives on UA-compliant configurations, moving implementation into day-to-day practice.

Track 3: Capacity Development

Infrastructure is sustainable only when institutions can manage and govern it effectively. Over the past three years, the Coalition delivered targeted capacity development for African ccTLD registries, covering governance, technical operations, DNS security, and business sustainability. A dedicated Lusophone track, delivered in Portuguese, supported registries in Mozambique, Angola, São Tomé and Príncipe, Cabo Verde, and Guinea-Bissau. In-person training in Maputo and virtual workshops alongside regional events, such as the Africa Law Tech Festival and the Mobile World Congress in Kigali, helped reinforce operational capability.

Support also extended to regulators, legal professionals, and lawmakers and government officials through targeted capacity development. In 2024, parliamentarians and government workshops brought together more than 40 participants from over 15 African countries, combining policy discussions with hands-on technical sessions to support informed engagement in Internet governance discussions. ICANN also supported a regional dialogue on Internet governance organized by Smart Africa in the context of its Internet Governance Flagship Project. As part of that process, Smart Africa presented a Draft Blueprint on Internet Governance on the margins of the ICANN84 meeting in Dublin (October 2025). Engagement has continued in regional and global forums to sustain participation over time.

The Africa Domain Name Industry Study provided a data-driven overview of the continent’s domain ecosystem, offering a baseline for future development and investment priorities.The emphasis throughout has been to ensure that institutions can operate and govern these systems independently and participate effectively in regional and global Internet governance processes.

What Comes Next

Coalition activities now span more than 34 African countries, reaching over 62 percent of the continent’s population through the combined efforts of fourteen global, regional, and African partners. Delivery remains grounded in regional partnerships and national engagement.

The Coalition will continue coordinating delivery among partners as implementation expands across the continent. Infrastructure deployment will grow where demand and readiness align. Universal Acceptance will move further into routine institutional practice, and capacity development will remain closely tied to operational outcomes.

For a full overview of projects delivered since launch, including country-level activities and ongoing deployments, visit https://coalitionfordigitalafrica.africa/.