After years of wrangling through the courts, the .Africa domain name will finally be available to brands and individuals from mid-2017. This follows the resolution of a court case in the United States. ICANN awarded the .Africa domain to South Africa's ZA Central Registry in 2014 and a US court has just upheld that decision after challenges. It is so important for brands and individuals proud of our heritage and wanting to promote Africa as a brand, to have our own domain name. It's taken far too long to get to this point. But we are here now and it is a hugely positive step, so look out for a flurry of landgrabs for the .Africa domain this year. And among all the positive investment and developmental and marketing communciations news we have this week, there is also a red flag being raised by the UN World Food Programme, warning that the drought in Somalia is devastating and urgent action is needed to save lives to avoid famine throughout the entire country. There is a small window of opportunity to prevent a catastrophe. Have a great week! Louise Marsland Africa Editor: Bizcommunity.com
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