Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the Registry for .ng Internet Domain Names, which maintains the database of names registered on the .ng country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), has tasked her Registrars on innovative solutions to increase the adoption of .ng domain names.

Giving his opening remarks during NiRA Registrars Forum held on Tuesday, November 07, 2021, Muhammed Rudman, President of NiRA, thanked the Registrars for their efforts towards the growth of .ng domain names.

Rudman noted that the growth of .ng could be attributed to continuous efforts by the Executive Board, and staff of NiRA as well as the discounts offered during the .ng promo.

He added that the fall in the value of naira has made it clear that it is capital flight to register non- .ng domain names.

Update from the second .ng promo

Toba Obaniyi, Vice President of NiRA provided an update regarding the ongoing promo.

He stated that the .ng domains were sold to Registrants at a discounted price, as a way of making the domain names more accessible to many.

He said that although there was an increase in registrations, compared to previous months, the expected number of registrations has not been attained.

Obaniyi stated that in addition to the price reduction, NiRA introduced a 50% refund of Registrars’ marketing costs for the period of the promo.

He informed the meeting that 31 Registrars indicated interest in the promo and in two months, a noticeable increase had been observed on the number of registrations.

Obaniyi also said there was need for a few Registrars yet to adjust their prices to do so and that Registrars need to be more involved in ensuring the sector thrives.

In his comment, Aransiola Damilola, Chief Growth Officer at WhoGoHost, advised that the promo should be moved to hold at the beginning of the year rather than towards the end, “when people are already closing up”.

Feedback from Registrars’ community

The feedback from Registrars’ community indicated that it will be great for .ng to match .com domain pricing to improve adoption.

Ike Ezeji, Programme Officer at NiRA spoke on the proposed training for NiRA Accredited Registrars in 2022. They include:

● Linux

● Networking

● DNS Security

● Digital Marketing

● Business Marketing

● Effective Service Delivery

The Forum resolved among other things, to further engage stakeholders on enforcement of price reduction. NiRA is also expected to lead a campaign for the compulsory adoption of .gov.ng by government agencies, which is in line with the provisions of the Federal Government’s policy statement.

As one of the recommendations for creating awareness around .ng, the Registrars advised that campaigns be carried out in schools.

In his comment, Rev’d Sunday Folayan, former President, NiRA said: “One thing we shouldn’t ignore is that there are government policies that totally weigh on the adoption of .ng”.

He gave the example of the government’s ban on Twitter as a risk factor.

He therefore proposed the need for a change of negative perspectives and mindsets.

Responding to this, Rudman said NiRA cannnot predict government policies but can continue to show the sector in a good light, focused on making people accept and stick to the .ng domain.

In his closing remarks, Rudman said NiRA will continue to look for innovative solutions to all issues brought forward and appreciated the efforts of the Registrars, Board Members and staff.

He announced that the meeting will be held twice a year to relate more with Registrars, keeping track of their endeavours and progress.

It was evident from attendance and engagement at the meeting, that NiRA is willing to engage strategically with all stakeholders in her efforts to increase the uptake of .ng domain names.