NIRA: DNS knowledge to generate jobs, others

Domain Name System (DNS) is a new emerging industry, which is worth several billions of dollars, capable of generating jobs, create wealth, boost employment, earn forex and reduce capital flight.

However, despite its great valu adding potential, it has remained untapped in the country.

DNS allows you to easily access a website, through its domain name and which maps the domain name to its Internet Protocol (IP) address.

Sikiru Shehu, Dean of NIRA Media College said this during the 2017 .NG Media College, which included media participants, including Daily Times in Lagos, recently, adding that “In 2017 the world domain count was over 300 million, the entire Africa has less than 2 million domain names, and Nigeria with an estimated 180 million population has less than 100,000 domains on its .ng string.”

He listed countries with their domain name registration as follow: Nigeria- 90,036; Kenya-61,623; South Africa-1,148,095; UK- 10,600,000; India- 2,235,471, China- 21,100,000.

Shehu cited the challenges in the industry in Africa to include, low awareness, poor Internet infrastructure and penetration, lack of government policy in member countries that can drive the uptake of Africa Country code top-level domains (ccTLDs), preferences for foreign Domain names; poverty of minds and ideas, absence of creative and innovative DNS entrepreneurs.

Country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) are domain extensions generally used to indicate a site contains content specifically relevant to a particular country, territory, or region.

“NiRA Academy and Resource Centre (of .ng registry, NiRA) has been charged with the mandate as derived from Nigeria Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to develop the Domain Name Industry in Nigeria through partnership and collaboration with stakeholders. The media is the catalyst Nigeria DNS industry is waiting for more awareness, and mobilizing through advocacy,” Dean of NIRA Media College said.

He said the academy was ready to breed Nigerians to take advantage of the jobs and business opportunities, wealth creation, financial rewards .ng domain name has to offer and also empowering them through skill development and capacity building.

Tony Nwakaegho