The Af*

Af* are organisations collaboratively working for a better Internet in Africa. These organisations include the various sectors of the Internet such as: Internet Numbers, Policy, Content and Names, Research, Infrastructure, Capacity building, and Security. 

Origin

In the 1990s, few African Internet pioneers also known as the African Internet Group (AIG) were engaged in discussing Internet issues in Africa, including Internet governance.

In 1998, following an IAHC process leading to the formation of ICANN, one of the first African Internet governance conference was organised in Cotonou Benin, with Pierre Dandjinou as host. 

The theme for the workshop was ‘’Internet governance in Africa’’. In this workshop, Dr Nii Quaynor,recipient of the prestigious John Postel Award prescribed the need for setting up several institutions for supporting Internet growth in the African region. 

The setting up of such organisations was visionary at a time when Africa needed to develop its own Internet Infrastructure but was lacking in critical technical workforce. This was the call for uniting the African Internet community.

Indeed, in the next few years, following the Cotonou Meeting, several organisations emerged within the African Internet ecosystem. Today we know them as the Af* comprising several organisations and fora such as: AfNOG, AFRINIC, AfREN, AfTlD, AfricaCERT, ISOC African Chapters, the African IGFs, the AfPIF and many more still  evolving within the ecosystem.

AFRINIC-20 fellows

1. HONLUE Musa Stephen
2. Ayman Hassan Sharaf Ali
3. Bukola Tosin Fawole
4. Tawanda Kembo
5. Jean Bosco Ntungirimana

Terms and ConditionsThe Africa Internet Summit Fellowship Programme provides opportunities for individuals from African countries who have an interest in Internet operations and governance to participate in the AIS. The fellowship provides basic financial assistance to the selected applicants who fulfll eligibility criteria and are subsequently selected by the Fellowship Committee. Successful fellows will receive and award to cover some travel and living expenses associated with attending the AIS. The selected fellow is expected to positively and actively contribute to IP address management awareness in the AFRINIC service region prior, during and after the meeting.

To qualify, the fellow: 

• Should be resident in an African nation
• Does not necessarily need to be an AFRINIC member
• Should be from a technical (IT, Computer Science) background or involved in ICT/Internet operations in some way
• Must not have benefited from previous AFRINIC fellowships

 The fellow is expected to report on how this fellowship has benefited his/her organisation/country.

The fellowship package includes:

• Assistance with round-trip airfare to the meeting venue
• Hotel accommodation for the AFRINIC Plenary event, from the day before the Plenary to the last day of the event
• Per diem allowance
• Coverage of all liabilities and costs associated with medical and travel insurance
• Attendance and participation in all sessions of the event. Please note, funding may be withheld in case of absence from any part of the event.

Important Dates

• Call opens on: 25 February 2014
• Call closes on: 25 March 2014
• Selected fellows contacted on: 7 April 2014
• Deadline for fellowship acceptance: 14 April 2014
• Fellows list announced on: 21 April 2014