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.