According to one online pioneer, 20 years of international collaboration over Internet access has had an indelible impact on Africa – both on and offline.
A former at-large director for ICANN, 2013 Internet Hall of Fame inductee Nii Quaynor is sometimes known as the “father of the Internet in Africa” for his efforts to improve access across the continent during the late 1990s.
In a recent blog post for Circle ID, Quaynor noted that ICANN’s steady growth and development over the last two decades has made it possible for developing countries, particularly those in Africa, to expand telecommunications infrastructure by coordinating resources. The discussions to facilitate that coordination led to greater dialogue on other topics as well.
“The novel community approach to decision-making through a multi-stakeholder bottom-up process was stimulating for those looking for more inclusion in governance,” he wrote.“This created many opportunities for dialog or the ability to lobby for a better local policy environment for the Internet. In short, there was alignment between forming an inclusive Internet governance structure and in so doing also influencing more inclusive governments for many African nations.”