Nigeria’s .ng Domain Name Maintains Steady Growth, Increased to 226,702 in June 2024

Emma Okonji

The adoption and usage of Nigeria’s .ng domain name in the cyberspace maintained steady growth from March to June 2024, to reach a registration figure of 226,702, up from 217,527, recorded in February 2024.

This is according to the latest statistics released by the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD).

According to the statistics, the total .ng domain name registration, renewal and restoration, reached 222,820 in April 2024, and further increased to 223,891 in May 2024, before reaching 226,702 in June 2024.

THISDAY had in April this year, reported an initial steady growth of Nigeria’s .ng domain name, which grew from 212,890 in December 2023 to reach 215,496 in January 2024, before increasing again 217,527 in February 2024. 

Although the summation of .ng domain name includes registration, renewal and restoration, the latest statistics on Nigeria’s .ng domain name, showed that registration alone reached 7,292 in April 2024, and it increased to 8,066 in May 2024, with a further increase to 8,164 in June 2024. The .ng domain name renewal alone was 5,328 in April 2024, and it increased to 5,545 in May 2024, before sliding to 5,028 in June 2024, while the .ng domain name restoration alone was 128 in April 2024 and it increased to 140 in May 2024, with a further increase to 142 in June 2024.  

The ccTLD .ng domain name is Nigeria’s identity in cyberspace, which has the .ng at the suffix of every official email address that originates from Nigeria. In the United Kingdom, official email addresses end with .co.uk. In United States of America, they end with .com, while in South Africa, the official email addresses end with .co.za.

Nigeria has continued to maintain steady growth in the adoption and usage of .ng domain name across different sectors of the economy and the growth has continued to attract commendations from the global community of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). 

Recently, ICAN commended Nigeria for surpassing the 225,000 mark for all registered .ng domain names in the country, and as at June this year, the number has increased to 226,702 and still counting. 

The former Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC), Joel Karubiu, while speaking at this year’s ICANN Policy Forum (ICANN80) in Kigali, Rwanda, said: “I see a lot of passion from the Nigerian team here.”  

NiRA also received a rousing applause from the general participants at the ICANN80 conference, which was attended by the Nigerian team led by the President of NiRA, Mr. Adesola Akinsanya.  

Giving reasons for the continuous increase in the adoption rate and use of the .ng domain name across the county in the past one year, the Head of Corporate Services at NiRA, Mrs. Busayo Balogun, told the audience at the ICANN Policy Forum that NiRA had launched a dashboard for real time updates on .ng domain name registrations, a development that helped in enhancing domain name registration.

According to her, the .ng domain name has continued to garner popularity in usage for websites and email addresses, adding that through its 3R – Registry, Registrar, Registrant model of operation, NiRA contracts more than 100 registrars to provide registration services to the public.

Akinsanya had earlier told THISDAY that the strategic collaborations between NiRA and some government agencies, aimed at populating Nigeria’s .ng domain name, were largely responsible for the continuous growth of the country’s .ng domain name.

According to him, NiRA holds a pivotal role as the steward of Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), a crucial element in advancing the nation’s digital ecosystem, adding that NiRA recognises the significance of collaborating with strategic partners who share in NiRA’s vision and can assist in achieving its vital objective.