The Founding of AFRINIC

AFRINIC is the neutral, not-for-profit organisation proposed by the African community to manage IP addressing in Africa.

In April 2005, ICANN recognized AFRINIC as the fifth Regional Internet Registry in the world according to criteria defined in its ICP-2 document (Criteria for Establishment of Regional Internet Registries). The ICANN Board resolution is available from the ICANN website.

More information about AFRINIC can be found on their website.

Transition

Prior to the establishment of AFRINIC, network operators in Africa had relied on three of the existing RIRs (APNIC, ARIN and the RIPE NCC) for their Internet number resource management needs. When AFRINIC became operational in 2005, a process of transition was necessary for those African LIRs who had already received resources from one of the other RIRs.

The RIPE NCC is committed to its members. Therefore, a structured transition for members moving from the RIPE NCC to AFRINIC was put in place.

Non-disclosure Agreement

To demonstrate the RIPE NCC's commitment to its members, a non-disclosure agreement was signed by AFRINIC to ensure that all LIR information remained private and confidential.