AFRINIC Government Working Group (AfGWG)
Role of the AfGWG
The AFRINIC Government Working Group (AfGWG) provides AFRINIC with a formal channel for open, organised dialogue with African governments, ICT regulators and law enforcement authorities on the governance and management of Internet number resources — IPv4 and IPv6 addresses and Autonomous System Numbers — throughout the region.
AFRINIC formed the AfGWG in January 2010 to expand its outreach to public-sector stakeholders as Internet governance became more important in Africa. The purpose was to create a sustainable structure for dealing with Internet governance issues in the region, and for managing those issues with direct relevance to number resource management.
The growth of the Internet and its weight in Africa’s economic and social development require governments, regulators and the technical community to share a forum where they can discuss, understand and improve the way Internet resources are managed for the benefit of their countries, and develop proposals through the AFRINIC Policy Development Process. AfGWG is that forum.
Objectives
- Strengthen strategic engagement with African governments and regulators to enhance understanding of AFRINIC’s mandate, and foster collaboration towards a secure, resilient and sustainable Internet ecosystem in Africa.
- Facilitate discussions on Internet governance and Internet number resources, where governments, regulators and AFRINIC can collectively address regional priorities, emerging issues and national requirements.
- Assist governments and public institutions to effectively manage and use Internet number resources — including IPv4, IPv6 and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) — as a national asset and a key enabler of digital transformation and Internet infrastructure development.
- Advocate for coherence with pertinent regional and international Internet-related instruments and resolutions, including but not limited to those on Internet governance, Internet number resources, cybersecurity, and digital infrastructure and connectivity.
- Encourage increased and more effective government involvement in AFRINIC’s policy and decision-making processes, including the Policy Development Process, the Public Policy Meetings and other appropriate community forums.
- Encourage and support operational collaboration and capacity building on IPv6 deployment, Internet routing security, DNS/DNSSEC, Internet Exchange Points and any other efforts that make the African Internet more robust.
Why it matters for your government
Membership of the AfGWG gives governments and regulators a focused platform to engage AFRINIC on Internet number resources, Internet infrastructure and related policy questions. Government and regulatory representatives gain, among other things:
Clearer view of number resource management
A clearer picture of how IPv4 addresses, IPv6 addresses and Autonomous System Numbers (ASNs) are distributed and managed across the AFRINIC service region, and an avenue to present national priorities and concerns.
Early participation in policy debates
Follow AFRINIC’s community-based Policy Development Process (PDP) and share government and regulatory views on issues that could affect national Internet infrastructure and development.
Technical expertise and capacity building
Access AFRINIC’s technical expertise and capacity-building programmes in areas such as IPv6 deployment, Internet measurement, routing security and RPKI, and Internet number resource management.
More independence in using number resources
Interested government agencies can deal directly with AFRINIC to obtain and manage Internet number resources for e-government services, public networks and national information infrastructure, as defined by AFRINIC policies and membership criteria.
A stronger African voice globally
AfGWG gives African governments a venue to discuss issues, develop common positions and share perspectives on Internet number resources and Internet governance matters that are also being debated in regional and international fora.
Closer cooperation with peer governments
Build relationships with regulators, ministries and public institutions across Africa, share experiences and explore cooperation on connectivity, Internet resilience, cybersecurity and digital transformation.
Who should attend
The AfGWG is intended for representatives of public institutions responsible for Internet policy, regulation, digital development and security, including:
- Government officials responsible for ICT, digital transformation, telecommunications and Internet-related matters;
- ICT regulators and policymakers involved in national Internet, telecommunications and digital policy;
- Regional and sub-regional ICT organisations promoting the development of the Internet and digital cooperation in Africa;
- Security institutions and public security agencies working on Internet, cybersecurity and digital investigation.
Invitations to AfGWG meetings are distributed primarily through the AfGWG government discussion mailing list. All interested government and public-sector representatives should join the list — see How to join the AfGWG below.
How the AfGWG is organised
- Convening
- Convened by AFRINIC, typically alongside AFRINIC Public Policy Meetings or the Africa Internet Summit (AIS).
- Frequency
- Meets once or twice a year, depending on the priorities and needs of participating governments and regulators.
- Focal points
- Supported by a network of national AfGWG focal points nominated by governments. These focal points are the main channel for communication, coordination, exchange of views and sharing of good practices between AfGWG meetings.
- Leadership
- The AfGWG is intended to be led by Co-Chairpersons selected by consensus by AfGWG members. This governance arrangement will be implemented subject to its adoption through the ongoing review of the AFRINIC Bylaws.
- Secretariat
- The AfGWG Secretariat is currently hosted by AFRINIC’s Stakeholder Development Department, which supports the coordination, administration and organisation of the Working Group’s activities.
How to join the AfGWG
Participation in the AfGWG is free and open to representatives of African governments, ICT regulators and other public institutions involved in digital development across the continent. Members participate on behalf of their institutions, while also contributing their own expertise and experience.
You can register with the AfGWG in any of the following ways:
- Online registration form: complete the AfGWG registration form.
- By email: send a request to engagement@afrinic.net with the subject line “Subscribe to AFRINIC Government Working Group”.
- On site: register during an AfGWG meeting by giving your name, position, organisation, country and email address.
For formal membership of the AfGWG, applicants must also provide a signed nomination or endorsement letter from a Senior Executive Officer or Supervising Officer of their organisation. This ensures that members participate with the institutional mandate to represent their government or public-sector organisation.
Resources and support for African governments
Previous meetings
The first AfGWG meeting was held in January 2010 in Ebène, Mauritius. Meetings since then have been convened back to back with AFRINIC Public Policy Meetings and the Africa Internet Summit. For more information, contact engagement@afrinic.net.
| # | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | Nairobi, Kenya (AIS 2026) | June 2026 |
| 27 | Mauritius | September 2024 |
| 26 | Johannesburg, South Africa | September 2023 |
| 25 | Mauritius | June 2022 |
| 24 | Online | March 2022 |
Earlier meetings — AfGWG 23 back to AfGWG 1 (August 2021 to January 2010)
| # | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Online | August 2021 |
| 22 | Online | 27 May 2021 |
| 21 | Luanda, Angola | December 2019 |
| 20 | Kampala, Uganda | June 2019 |
| 19 | Hammamet, Tunisia | November 2018 |
| 18 | Dakar, Senegal | May 2018 |
| 17 | Lagos, Nigeria | November 2017 |
| 16 | Nairobi, Kenya | June 2017 |
| 15 | Volmar, Mauritius | November 2016 |
| 14 | Gaborone, Botswana | June 2016 |
| 13 | Pointe-Noire, Congo | November 2015 |
| 12 | Tunis, Tunisia | June 2015 |
| 11 | Ebène, Mauritius | November 2014 |
| 10 | Djibouti, Republic of Djibouti | June 2014 |
| 9 | Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire | November 2013 |
| 8 | Lusaka, Zambia | June 2013 |
| 7 | Khartoum, Sudan | November 2012 |
| 6 | Serekunda, The Gambia | May 2012 |
| 5 | Yaoundé, Cameroon | November 2011 |
| 4 | Dar es Salaam, Tanzania | June 2011 |
| 3 | Johannesburg, South Africa | November 2010 |
| 2 | Kigali, Rwanda | June 2010 |
| 1 | Ebène, Mauritius | January 2010 |
Get involved
Interested in representing your government or public institution at the AfGWG? Complete the registration form, or write to engagement@afrinic.net directly.