Yes2dotAfrica Campaign


Type:	Non-Profit, Trust Program
Industry:	DNS, ICT, Domain, Branding
Founded:	2006
Founder(s):	Sophia Bekele
Headquarters:	Mauritius
Country:	Kenya
Key People
Sophia Bekele, Founder Shanil Ramtohul, Chief Finance Officer Kim Gueho, Trust Fund Manager

The Yes2dotAfrica Campaign is part of the trust program of DotConnectAfrica's (DCA) established as on-going effort to create awareness of the benefits of a dotAfrica name and do a public outreach. Other trust programs identified by DCA include Miss.africa, Generation.africa and driving the capacity of the African ccTLDs. The Yes2dotAfrica campaign has received a huge amount of positive media coverage.^[1]

Yes2dotafrica campaign has gained recognition and been given credence as a platform for advocacy of the benefits of DotAfrica gTLD and technology transfer. DCA has been invited to share its knowledge and experiences at major Universities in the U.S, Heads of States forums in Africa, United Nations and other large economic forums in US and Europe and globally, including Web 2.0, TV & Radio programs, IGF and ICANN forums, allowing it to become a highly visible applicant and advocate for the African gTLD. DCA will continue to use the Yes2DotAfrica campaign to promote the DotAfrica.

Yes2dotafrica has received a very high number of global media coverage throughout its campaign and has been featured on Bloomberg TV Africa program,^[2] CNN discussion of "Yes2dotAfrica" campaign in Dakar Senegal,^[3] Africa 7 TV Channel in Senegal^[4] and Nation Television (NTV) on "doing Business in Africa", ^[5] as well as Kenya's leading TV station K24's Capital Talk "Movers and Shakers of Africa" ^[6] KASS Media International,^[7] Radio Netherland^[8] and a DotAfrica generation soon to be born^[9] as well as Startup Success Radio in the US

Launch of Yes2dotafrica campaign

'Yes 2africa' campaign was first launched in East Africa during the 2010 AITEC East Africa ICT Summit held from 7-8 September 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya. The initiative is meant to give Africa a regional identity and global presence. Sophia Bekele, executive director, DotConnectAfrica made the announcement during the summit in her Keynote speech .^[10] ^[11]^[12] ^[13]^[14]

Yes2dotAfrica campaign also participated in several ICANN meetings such as the March 2011,ICANN 40 San Francisco, CA also home to DCA, where ".africa" was first initiated as an African Diaspora project. ^[15]

Trust Programs

Aside from the "Yes2dotAfrica campaign" Trust program, which has been widely successful, DCA has already undertaken initiatives under its Trust program which include the following:

Miss.africa:

The miss.africa programme is a gender-focused initiative targeted mainly at female youth audiences in Africa to increase their personal involvement in early technology use and adoption with a view to improving their digital self-awareness and empowerment, and overall self-esteem. It was inspired mainly by the DNS Women’s group of ICANN. The "Miss.Africa" program is envisioned as one of the central pillars of DCA’s corporate social responsibility program and was first launched and publicized during the ICANN gala event in Singapore ^[16]^[17]and continued in Dakar. It is aimed at attracting more young girls and women to the Internet platform to enable them form a sizable demographic of Internet users in Africa, thereby involving them in complementary gender development initiatives that improve the lives of young girls and women^[18]

Generation.africa:

Generation.africa is a youth focused program launched by DCA to empower a new generation of Internet users in Africa using its generation.africa theme. It is intended to target different youth audiences and encourage them to be involved in discussions that define and increase their common stake-holding in the development and evolution of the Internet and how this affects them. e.g^[19]^[20]^[21] ^[22]

African ccTLD’s:

DCA has noted that African ccTLDs are at a great disadvantage and have stagnated for a very long period of time. DCA’s DotAfrica initiative has strongly advocated for African ccTLDs and proposed to work with them based on a beneficial cross-marketing scheme that would help grow the base of user registrations and also improve the technologies and businesses of the African ccTLDs eg.^[23]

Media Coverages

2011

October 03 2011- The Successful Yes2dotAfrica Campaign invited to Munich, Germany ^[24]
August 09 2011- DotAfrica: Generation.Africa Thanks ICANN and DCA^[25]
June 24 2011- DCA and its “yes2DotAfrica” campaign: ^[26]
April 27 2011- KASS Media Spoke to Sophia Bekele on the "Yes2dotAfrica" Campaign ^[27]

2010

December 08 2010- Diplomat EastAfrica reports Brains behind .africa" ^[28]
August 16 2010- Africa domain attracts interest^[29]
September 15 2010- Can "Africa" get a make-over?^[30]
September 10 2010- Dot Africa campaign to brand continent ^[31]
August 16 2010- Africa domain attracts interest ^[32]
March 27 2010- Africa: Heralding the birth of dot.africa generation ^[33]
March 22 2010- Announcing the birth of the dot.africa generation ^[34]

Select Live Media

Dotafrica Launch Dance Video: The video was produced by DCA for the launch of the Yes2dotAfrica campaign at the AITEC East Africa ICT Summit held from 7-8 September 2010 in Nairobi, Kenya

The Yes2dotAfrica Campaign, Journey of .Africa by DotConnectAfrica. This video is a collection of films and media campaign efforts made by DotConnectAfrica to introduce the .Africa gTLD to the Peoples of Africa.

Movers & Shakers of Africa- Jeff Koinange first media presentation and interview with Sophia Bekele on the .Africa Domain name she introduced to Africa.

Bloomberg TV Features Sophia Bekele Founder and CEO of CBS International and DotConnectAfrica as,"African Women to Watch"

References

[1] "Brains behind .africa" reports Diplomat EastAfrica, profiling Bekele's work

[2] "African Women to Watch" - Sophia Bekele on Bloomberg TV"

[3] Scramble for 'dot africa' internet domain name

[4] Africa 7's Zara DERIBE in a conversation with Sophia Bekele on DotAfrica and being a Woman-In-Charge

[5] Nations TV calls Sophia Bekele on business in Africa + the new Domain for Africa

[6] Capital Talk, Movers and Shakers of Africa

[7] KASS Media International on her international work by CBS International and DCA activities

[8] Africa in Progress - Mobile banking: Africa’s next revolution

[9] A DotAfrica generation soon to be born

[10] "Lead speaker Sophia Bekele at the "Launch of the Dot Africa East African campaign"- AITEC EAst Africa Summit

[11] Dot Africa campaign to brand continent

[12] A DotAfrica generation soon to be born

[13] "Brains behind .africa" reports Diplomat EastAfrica, profiling Bekele's work

[14] Yes Campaign

[15] Yes2dotAfrica Campaign successful at ICANN 40 in San Francisco, CA

[16] Mission

[17] ICANN gala event in Singapore

[18] ".africa" music & dance performance

[19] ration.africa

[20] Generation.africa On their High at IGF Kenya

[21] Generation.africa hailed "Yes2dotAfrica" at DCA's Headquarters in Mauritius

[22] Generation.africa spoke at Tandaa Symposium

[23] Domain .africa at Kampala - "An invasion of armies cannot stop an idea whose time has come"

[24] The Successful Yes2dotAfrica Campaign invited to Munich, Germany

[25] DotAfrica: Generation.Africa Thanks ICANN and DCA

[26] DCA and its “yes2DotAfrica” campaign:

[27] KASS Media Spoke to Sophia Bekele on the "Yes2dotAfrica" Campaign

[28] Africa domain attracts interest

[29] Africa domain attracts interest

[30] Can "Africa" get a make-over?

[31] Dot Africa campaign to brand continent

[32] ttracts interest

[33] Africa: Heralding the birth of dot.africa generation

[34] Announcing the birth of the dot.africa generation

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