E-Business
Alan Barrett Says AFRINIC Focusing on IPv6 Training
By chukwuemeka fred agbata
AFRINIC is the internet number registry for Africa. It plays an important role for the internet community, not just in Africa, but across the world.
As a result of this, AFRINIC plays an important role in ICANN and other global internet bodies. Some of the issues that AFRINIC is addressing includes, IPv6 deployment, cross border connectivity and promotion of Internet Exchange Points.
I was recently with Alan Barrett, CEO, AFRINIC and the centre of discussion was on the impact and relevance of AFRINIC.
In explaining the work that AFRINIC does, Alan stated that, AFRINIC is an organisation that manages the allocation of IP internet addresses throughout the African continent. He stated further that, the role of AFRINIC is to encourage and to support internet development in Africa. Alan explained that some of the ways it does this, is through training on internet technology and organising conferences.
“Our members are mostly internet service providers and some larger businesses but, small businesses can also join, although, usually, they don’t”, Alan stressed, while stating who can be a member of AFRINIC. He stated that, the membership of AFRINIC currently stands at around 1,500 members from all over Africa.
On the benefits to an organisation owning its own IP address, Alan stated that there are two important benefits to be derived from this. These are, the fact that you can receive as much as you need from AFRINIC, whereas, if you are trying to get from your service providers, they might not have enough to provide for what you need. The second benefit, he stated, is the freedom to change to internet service providers in the future, while still keeping the same IP addresses. Alan stated that it is not expensive to own your own IP address.
Stating some of the ways in which AFRINIC is helping to deepen internet penetration in Africa, Alan stated that AFRINIC encourages the development of Internet Exchange Points, which are locations where multiple service providers in the same country, can all join together and share traffic. This enables the traffic from one, going into another one, staying in the country. “This is very important for performance and cost reduction “, he explained.
Alan stated that what used to happen before is that, traffic between two internet service providers in the same country, will have to go through Europe or the USA and that is very expensive.
He stressed that AFRINIC has a training team that goes all over Africa and it organises more than 20 training courses every year, mostly focusing on IPv6, a new version of the internet protocol. He stated that some other courses it carries out include those on how to manage IP addresses and how to interact with Africa.
Alan stated that the body engages in what he calls the FIRE program, Fund for Internet Research and Education. “We receive grants from big donors and we redistribute them in smaller grants, to help their projections throughout Africa”, he stressed.
He stated that these are given to organisations involved in the area of technical innovations, social development and bringing internet access to rural communities, which are not well served by the traditional ISPs.
To have access to those funds, Alan stated that, once a year, AFRINIC puts out calls for proposals with the submission of an application with details of what your project is doing. He stated that the call for application for the grant is usually done on the AFRINIC website, when the time comes, but the FIRE program has its own unique website, which can also be accessed from the AFRINIC website.
On the benefits for Africa, if it decides to fully deploy IPv6, Alan stated that the main benefit is to be in line with what is happening in the rest of the world. “If a web server has IPv6 only and does not have IPv4 and a user trying to access it, has only IPv6, they cannot communicate”, he stated. He observed that, in more than 10 years from now, we will have only IPv6. “During the in-between phase, people need to have both”, he stressed.
Alan explained that, end users need not worry about all these because, the smart phones available now, will support IPv6, the moment the mobile operators turns it on. Likewise, he stated that, desk computers will also support IPv6 as soon as your office IT department turns it on.
Alan stressed that, although, the deployment of IPv6 in Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world, but AFRINIC is trying to encourage the deployment of IPv6 in Africa.
On the use of the internet in Africa, Alan stated that there is always room for more use, although data is still very expensive as the cost of access is very high. “I would love to see more competition. If you have competition among service providers, that drives the price down and that in turn, encourages more usage, making it easier for users”. he concluded.
Nigeria Data Protection Commission (NDPC) has directed all Data Controllers and Data Processors of Major Importance (DCPMIs), yet to register with the commission to do so immediately.
This followed a Federal High Court judgment affirming NDPC statutory powers to designate and register such entities.
DCPMIs are entities operating in Nigeria that handle sensitive personal data or large volumes of information, requiring mandatory registration with the NDPC under the Nigeria Data Protection Act (NDPA).
In a statement issued on Tuesday by Babatunde Bamigboye, head of Legal, Enforcement and Regulations at the NDPC, described the judgment as a major milestone for data accountability and regulatory oversight in Nigeria.
The commission said the ruling arose from a suit filed by Emmanuel Harunna against the NDPC in Emmanuel Harunna v. NDPC (FHC/L/CS/1116/2024), in which the applicant sought a declaration that Point of Sale agents were not Data Controllers or Processors of Major Importance under the Nigeria Data Protection Act and requested a perpetual injunction restraining the commission from registering them.
According to the statement, Justice F.N. Ogazi examined the commission’s Guidance Notice on Registration alongside Sections 5(d), 6(c), 44, 45 and 65 of the Nigeria Data Protection Act before concluding that the commission acted within its statutory powers in designating entities under the Major Data Processing – Ordinary High Level category as Data Controllers and Processors of Major Importance.
Quoting the judgment, the statement read, “The Nigeria Data Protection Act was enacted to promote accountability, transparency and responsible data governance. Registration enables the Respondent to identify entities engaged in significant data processing activities, monitor compliance.”
It added that the court held that, “Far from undermining the constitutional right to privacy, the registration framework is one of the statutory mechanisms designed to safeguard that very right by subjecting data controllers and data processors to effective regulatory oversight.”
The statement further quoted the court as saying, “Looking at the recitals of the Guidance Notice, there is every indication that the Guidance Notice is also aimed at protecting the privacy and security of data subjects, thus bringing the registration requirement of the Guidance Notice within the protective shield of Section 45 of the 1999 Constitution.”
According to the commission, the court also held that, “Remarkably, Section 63 of the Data Protection Act provides that the provisions of the Act shall prevail over any other law inconsistent with its provisions on matters relating to the processing of personal data.”
Reacting to the judgment, the commission described the decision as a significant boost to Nigeria’s data protection regime.
“The Commission appreciates the ground-breaking efforts of the court towards the advancement of the jurisprudence relating to data accountability in Nigeria, as eloquently demonstrated in this case,” the statement read.
Following the ruling, Vincent Olatunji, national commissioner and chief executive officer, had directed every Data Controller and Processor of Major Importance that had yet to comply with the registration requirement to register without delay.
The commission warned that entities failing to comply with the registration requirement could face legal consequences.
“Failure to register creates serious legal liabilities under the law, while compliance with registration requirements builds public trust and safeguards the fundamental rights and freedoms of data subjects in Nigeria,” the statement added.
The University of Nigeria (UNN) is set to partner with The Roxettes Group to establish a research and innovation centre focused on artificial intelligence (AI), smart and green mobility, and digital technologies, in a move aimed at strengthening research, entrepreneurship and technology-driven industrial development.
Chairman of The Roxettes Group, Arc. Dr. Kaycee Orji-Kelechi, announced the proposed partnership while delivering his acceptance speech after receiving an Honorary Doctor of Business Administration (Honoris Causa) during the university’s convocation ceremony.
The proposed facility, to be known as the Dr. Kaycee Orji Centre for Artificial Intelligence, Smart/Green Mobility and Digital Innovation, is expected to provide a platform for research, innovation and collaboration between academia and industry, with a focus on developing commercially viable solutions to local and continental challenges.
Orji-Kelechi said the initiative was conceived as a long-term investment in human capital and technological advancement rather than simply another physical infrastructure project.
He said the vision was to position the University of Nigeria among Africa’s leading institutions in artificial intelligence, smart mobility and digital innovation through research, entrepreneurship and technology development.
According to him, the centre will house five specialised laboratories covering artificial intelligence and machine learning, smart and green mobility, robotics and the Internet of Things (IoT), digital finance and financial technology, as well as cloud computing and advanced data centre technologies.
He also announced plans for the proposed Kaycee Orji Founders Innovation Challenge, an annual programme intended to identify, mentor and support innovative ideas from students, researchers and academic staff with the potential to become scalable businesses.
“Every student of this University should know that a great idea conceived in a classroom should have a pathway to becoming a patent, a startup, a global enterprise, and a solution that transforms society,” he said.
Orji-Kelechi disclosed that preliminary conceptual work on the project had commenced, with architectural and engineering designs being prepared by K.KH Contractors Ltd., a subsidiary of The Roxettes Group.
He added that discussions with the university would begin on identifying a suitable site for the project, while a comprehensive proposal containing architectural drawings, engineering designs and an implementation framework would be submitted after completion of the design phase.
Reflecting on his career, Orji-Kelechi said Africa must move beyond consuming innovation to creating it through investment in manufacturing, technology and entrepreneurship.
“We have pursued one simple vision: that Nigeria and Africa must move from consumption to production; from importing innovation to creating it; and from waiting for opportunities to building them,” he said.
He urged graduating students to see their education as a foundation for solving societal challenges through innovation, leadership and enterprise, adding that he remained committed to promoting industrial development, youth empowerment and sustainable economic growth.
The proposed collaboration forms part of broader efforts to strengthen university-industry partnerships, which are increasingly seen as critical to improving research commercialisation, innovation capacity and technology-led economic development in Nigeria.
National Population Commission (NPC) has announced commencement of full digital registration of births and deaths through the VitalReg platform, which became operational nationwide on July 1, 2026.
Chidi Ezeoke, federal commissioner representing Anambra, disclosed this in Awka during a press conference to announce commencement of full digital birth and death registration under the Electronic Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (E-CRVS) system and the marking of World Population Day commemorated every July 11.
He revealed that a total of 131 registration centres had been opened in the 21 local government headquarters and several communities in the state, adding that more centres would be opened later.
Ezeoke described the initiative as a major milestone in Nigeria’s Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) system, to ensure every birth and death in the country was captured through a digitally enabled registration platform.
“It builds on the launch of the E-CRVS system and the inauguration of the National Coordination Committee on Civil Registration and Vital Statistics by President Bola Tinubu on Nov. 8, 2023.
“A total of 4,011 functional registration centres has been established across the 774 LGAs of the federation and the commission iswas working to expand the number to about 8,000.
“In Anambra, 131 registration centres have been opened in the 21 local government headquarters and several communities. More centres had been proposed for the state,” he said.
According to the Commissioner, the VitalReg platform would provide faster registration services, 24-hour online access, digital certificate issuance where applicable, reduced paperwork and waiting time, improved data validation and a more secure national CRVS database.
While noting that the platform would serve as a foundational database to support other national data systems and strengthen interoperability across Nigeria’s digital identity ecosystem, Ezeoke urged Nigerians and other stakeholders to support the initiative by ensuring prompt registration of all births and deaths.
Speaking on the 2026 World Population Day themed, “Realising the Hopes and Aspirations of Young People – Today and for the Future”, the Commissioner called for greater investment in education, healthcare, skills development, decent employment opportunities and youth participation in governance for sustainable national development.
Earlier, Mr Obiakonwa Okagwu, state director, NPC, said the occasion served as a reminder of great opportunities provided to harness young people’s capabilities, which he said would shape the future of the country when adequately harnessed.
He called on residents to take registration of births and deaths as national responsibility, just as he urged the media to take the message on civil registration to all parts of the State.
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