ADDIS ABABA, March 10 (Xinhua) -- The African Union on Friday launched DotAfrica (.Africa), a vehicle for socio-cultural activities by forging a unique online identity which will bring products, services and information under one umbrella throughout the continent.
The DotAfrica generic Top Level Domain (gTLD), an African initiative established by Africans for Africa and the rest of the world, is designed to bring the continent together as an internet community by allowing e-commerce, technology and infrastructure to flourish in the continent.
The launching of dotAfrica on Friday at the African Union's headquarters in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa was accompanied by senior AU officials including the outgoing and incoming African Union Commission (AUC) Chairpersons Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma and Moussa Faki Mahamat respectively.
Nkosazana-Dlamini Zuma, the outgoing Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), said on the occasion that "with DotAfrica, Africa has finally got its digital identity."
"DotAfrica will allow us to spread much more our own information and our own history," the outgoing Chairperson said. "It is a historic moment to realize the Africa we want and a closer step towards regional integration."
Elham Ibrahim, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, has also lauded the launch of DotAfrica (.Africa) saying that it is "one of the most important flagship projects of the AUC."
According to Elham, the implementation of the DotAfrica (.Africa) project has been AU's interest for the past eight years.
DotAfrica (.Africa), as a proposed new generic Top Level Domain (gTLD) for the African continent, will serve as an identity and a vehicle for socio-cultural activities of Africa in the digital era helping the continent to contribute to the global digital economy, according to Lucky Masilela, CEO of ZA Central Registry (ZACR), a non-profit company based in Johannesburg. South Africa submitted an application on behalf of AUC for the adoption of dotAfrica gTLD.
