Executive Director of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), Ahmad Mukosby, has shed more light on the role, operations, and strategic direction of the association.
Mukosby, during an exclusive interview with media expert, Joy Edmund at the StartupSouth program in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said NiRA is the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD), .ng, and plays a crucial role in the nation’s internet ecosystem.
Harping on the origins of NiRA, Mukosby explained that the association was established as a non-profit, multi-stakeholder organization to manage the .ng domain on behalf of Nigerians. Its creation followed global best practices of entrusting country code domains to neutral and community-driven organizations rather than private or government-owned entities.
He stressed that NiRA operates independently, though in partnership with government and private stakeholders to strengthen Nigeria’s internet infrastructure.
On the issue of conflict of domain names, the Executive Director noted that NiRA has an effective Dispute Resolution Policy (DRP), modeled after global standards, to ensure fair and timely resolution of conflicts without unnecessary litigation, as he emphasized that DNS systems are distributed and resilient, ensuring minimal downtime with continuous upgrade to prevent failures and cyber attacks.
When asked about accreditation, Mukosby affirmed that NiRA is recognized internationally and accredited to manage the .ng namespace in line with ICANN’s frameworks, and has adopted proactive monitoring and enforcement measures.
According to Mukosby, one of NiRA’s key strategies is increasing awareness and adopting the .ng domain among Nigerian businesses, schools, and government institutions.
He revealed that NiRA has launched campaigns and partnerships with educational institutions and SMEs to highlight the benefits of using a national domain.
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On NiRA’s Role in Digital Transformation
Highlighting the association’s broader role, Mukosby said NiRA supports Nigeria’s digital transformation agenda by ensuring that internet infrastructure remains locally owned and controlled.
On positioning .ng as a trusted African and global brand, Mukosby stressed the importance of branding, security, and visibility.
The Executive Director also revealed that NiRA is exploring ways to expand its role beyond traditional registry functions, which includes internet governance advocacy, capacity building, digital innovation programmes, and training to support Nigeria’s growing digital ecosystem.
