Smart Africa leads push to defend Africa’s digital sovereignty

KIGALI, RWANDA – Smart Africa has called for a unified continental effort to safeguard Africa’s digital sovereignty amid mounting concerns over the governance crisis at the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC). 

The pan-African digital transformation initiative, which brings together 40 African governments, the African Union Commission (AUC), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and over 60 private sector players, has expressed concern over the institutional paralysis facing AFRINIC, Africa’s sole Regional Internet Registry (RIR).

In a statement released on July 23, 2025, Smart Africa states that the crisis, rooted in a string of over 50 lawsuits primarily filed by Cloud Innovation Ltd., a Chinese-owned entity registered in the Seychelles, is destabilising AFRINIC’s ability to perform its mandate. 

“Smart Africa … expresses deep concern over the escalating governance crisis affecting AFRINIC and the serious threat it poses to the continent’s digital sovereignty, the resilience of its Internet infrastructure, and Africa’s standing in global Internet governance fora,” the statement says in part.

Despite a court-appointed receiver being installed in 2023, efforts to restore the organisation’s credibility and functionality have yielded little success. The June 2025 elections, once seen as a potential turning point, were annulled after widespread procedural irregularities were reported, among them unauthorised proxy voting and potential breaches of AFRINIC’s membership database. 

Reports indicate that the fallout left stakeholders questioning the legitimacy of the institution’s leadership and processes.

According to reports, tensions escalated further when Cloud Innovation filed for AFRINIC’s judicial liquidation in July, with a hearing scheduled for later in the month, an action Smart Africa warned that could seriously undermine the continent’s control over its IP address allocations, further posing a critical threat to Internet governance and Africa’s broader digital autonomy.

The statement says that in response, Smart Africa has engaged in a multi-pronged strategy to contain the fallout and mobilise continental support. The organisation has ramped up diplomatic engagement with African governments and international stakeholders, including the global registry responsible for coordinating the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) – ICANN, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

Smart Africa states that it is working closely with AFRINIC’s community to promote legitimate leadership processes and has formed an ad hoc legal committee to develop a contingency framework if AFRINIC fails to recover. ICANN is an acronym that stands for the ‘Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.’ 

According to ICT experts, if AFRINIC was to collapse, it would pose serious threats to Internet governance across the continent. As Africa’s sole RIR, AFRINIC is responsible for allocating IP addresses and ensuring the technical coordination necessary for a stable and secure Internet in the region. 

“Without it, African states and institutions would lose a key mechanism of digital sovereignty, potentially forcing them to rely on external RIRs or private entities outside the continent to manage their Internet resources. This would undermine Africa’s ability to autonomously develop and regulate its digital infrastructure in line with its priorities, policies, and values,” said the expert. 

“Moreover, the absence of a functioning regional registry could lead to fragmentation and vulnerability in Africa’s digital ecosystem. IP address allocation could become less transparent and equitable, possibly prioritising commercial or geopolitical interests over local development needs,” the expert added. 

This would also open the door to external influence and even exploitation, weakening Africa's voice in global Internet governance forums such as ICANN and the ITU. The dissolution of AFRINIC would not just be a technical setback, it would represent a profound loss of agency in shaping the continent’s digital future.

In the statement, Smart Africa has also reiterated the importance of transparency, due process, and adherence to AFRINIC’s bylaws in all future reform efforts. It also emphasises Africa’s right to reject any outcomes stemming from illegitimate or fraudulent processes and pledged to continue close cooperation with ICANN, the AUC, ITU, and regional partners to protect the integrity of the continent’s digital infrastructure.

Smart Africa’s position underscores that digital sovereignty is not just about technical infrastructure but also central to Africa’s ability to shape its future. As the custodian of IP address distribution, AFRINIC plays a strategic role in enabling digital inclusion, innovation, and economic development. 

With the future of AFRINIC hanging in the balance, Smart Africa is urging all African governments and stakeholders to stand united. "History will not judge us only by the origin of this crisis, but by our capacity to respond boldly, collectively, and decisively," the statement concluded.

Read the full SmartAfrica statement HERE


Business Insights Africa will continue to monitor developments in AFRINIC governance and digital sovereignty efforts across the continent. To contact the writer [email protected]