Nigeria Digital Sense Forum communiqué,
Thursday, November 5, 2009,
Ikoyi-Lagos, Nigeria.
Theme: “Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians”
We, the participants of the Nigeria Digital Sense Forum held at the Golden Gate Ikoyi-Lagos on “Internet Governance: Creating Opportunities for All Nigerians” on Thursday, November 5, 2009, organized by Digital Sense Africa (DSA) an initiative of Remnek Kommunications Ventures (RKV) in collaboration with the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).
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 ISP Association 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 Digital Sense 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.
Digital Sense Africa, November 10, 2009
For full story: ITRealms Online
... Making sense out of digital revolution!
No comments:
Post a Comment