Domain Names: NiRA Seeks Policy Intervention to Curb Capital Flight
Emma Okonji
The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), has stressed the urgent need for policy intervention that will put a stop to huge capital outflows from the purchase of foreign domain names.
NiRA warned against the danger of losing billions of naira annually to foreign domain service providers, as Nigerians continue to rely on foreign domain names like .com, .co.uk, .za, as against Nigeria’s .ng domain name, thus undermining Nigeria’s digital economy and contributing to foreign exchange outflows.
NiRA noted that the dominance of foreign domain names continues to drain economic value that could otherwise be retained within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem, despite the country’s fast growing internet population and expanding digital economy.
The association said while individual payments for domain registration and related digital services may appear minimal, the cumulative effect across millions of businesses translates into significant capital flight and sustained pressure on foreign exchange reserves.
President of NiRA, Mr. Adesola Akinsanya, who spoke during the .ng Media Advocacy and Capacity Building Initiative, organised by NiRA in Lagos, called on government to view the issue as a matter of strategic national importance, given its implications for economic development and digital competitiveness.
According to him, countries that prioritise country-code domains have been able to build millions of registrations and retain greater value within their digital infrastructure.
He therefore called for stronger policy intervention, including an executive order mandating the use of .ng domains for government communications, public institutions, and official digital engagements.
