ADVERTORIAL ZADNA
Gain from
SA’s web
Calling SMME’s, youth and women to actively participate in South Africa’s domain name industry, anyone can benefit – Angel Selebano
S
ince 1994, South Africa’s internet industry has been dominated by a few players. This may no longer be the case as the .ZA Domain Name Authority
participate in the economic activity of the industry that they
(ZADNA) creates opportunities for new entrants to
support,” says Wesi. “ZADNA is now facilitating an enabling
the Information Communications and Technology (ICT) sector
environment for entrepreneurs to contribute meaningfully to
– particularly for South African youth, women and people living
the ICT sector.” This means that a young entrepreneur from a
with disabilities.
township can now actively participate in the domain namespace by either becoming a registrar, a website domain name reseller,
ZADNA – the statutory regulator and manager of the .za
or even an entity that provides opportunities for the youth to
domain namespace, which is South Africa’s internet country
drive the ecosystem.
code top-level domain – is actively seeking ways to ensure
“We are determined to realise the obligations of the
that South Africans participate in this simple yet seemingly
Electronic Communications and Transactions Act by
complex ecosystem. Citizens within the sector are encouraged
demystifying the industry and implementing an enabling
to subscribe as members of ZADNA. This is a crucial step to
regulatory framework to allow more participants to engage
bridging the digital divide and allowing all stakeholders to
in economic activity. Anyone can participate,” says Wesi. “We
contribute to the policy development of the .za namespace and
will conduct virtual workshops to empower passionate young
be part of improving the country’s internet ecosystem.
people, people with disabilities and women to engage in the
ZADNA’s educational initiatives ensure that communities
process and embrace the opportunities,” he explains. According
know about business opportunities within the industry.
to Wesi, ZADNA strives to strengthen relations and engagement
Opportunities vary from being a reseller to a registrar for
with the .za stakeholders, ensure collaborative efforts are
domain names, which allows you to own an entity that provides
pursued, and that the namespace remains competitive.
domain names such as co.za. ZADNA recently terminated a 10-year long registry operating
ZADNA is a nonprofit organisation. It is accountable to its members and the South African Department of
agreement for the commercial .za second-level domains. This
Communications and Digital Technologies, but does not receive
was followed by a Request For Information (RFI) process from
government funding.
the industry for ZADNA to determine the current skill set and competencies available within South Africa. “This RFI process was insightful as it presented options and solutions for the registry services market and created the opportunity for small businesses to form alliances with big players in delivering registry services and solutions for South
Scan this QR code to go directly to the ZADNA website.
Africa,” says Molehe Wesi, ZADNA’s CEO.
T: 010 020 3910 E: info@zadna.org.za E: www.zadna.org.za
“We have decided to open the space for all people, irrespective of their demographic background, to embrace the opportunity presented by the technology landscape. Everyone uses the web daily, and we see no reason why they shouldn’t
@dotZADNA
/company/zadna
SA PROFILE www.saprofilemagazine.co.za
119