Nigeria’s .ng Domain Name Users Rose from 189,158 in March to 193,085 in May

Emma Okonji

Having maintained a steady growth in nine consecutive months from June 2022 to February 2023, Nigeria’s .ng domain name registration, renewal and restoration continued to grow with a new record of 193,085 as of May this year.

The current statistics, which THISDAY obtained from the official website of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), the body responsible for managing Nigeria’s country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD), showed that the .ng domain name registration, renewal and restoration, rose again from 189,158 in March this year, to 191,215 in April, before reaching 193,085 in May.

THISDAY had reported that the .ng domain name registration, renewal and restoration, grew from 178,813 in June last year to 183,792 in December, before reaching 184,425 in January 2023.

In July 2022, the figure grew to 180,162 and from August to September same year, it increased to 181,275. From October to November 2022, the figure increased again to 183,169. In December 2022, it increased again to 183,792 before it reached 184,425 in January 2023.

The recent statistics showed another increase from 189,158 in March to 193,085 in May this year.

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, all official email addresses end with .co.uk, in United States of America, they end with .com, while in South Africa, official email addresses end with .co.za.

In Nigeria, NiRA has carried out several campaigns to sensitise Nigerians on the need to populate .ng domain name. 

Reacting to the increased number of active .ng domain name users in January this year, the President of NiRA, Mr. Adesola Akinsanya, told THISDAY that Nigerians were beginning to understand the need to identify with .ng domain name for every online transaction and communication.

According to him, NiRA had in the past months, carried out several campaigns to sensitise Nigerians on the need to populate .ng domain name in order to advance Nigeria’s digital economy.

Representatives of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA), led by Akinsanya, last month, had a partnership meeting to successfully onboard the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). The meeting, Akinsanya said, explored the different ways the association could adopt the .ng domain, which aligns with the national second-level domain policy of the federal government. The Nigerian Medical Association President, Dr. Uche Ojinmah, expressed great enthusiasm for harnessing the possibilities offered by the .ng domain.
NiRA also hosted a highly successful virtual technical training session last month for over 60 accredited registrars. The training was designed to create more awareness about Nigeria’s .ng domain name.

Led by seasoned facilitators, the training programme empowered registrars with the most up-to-date technical knowledge and skills on .ng domain name. The training covered a wide range of topics, ensuring that participants were equipped with the necessary tools to excel in their roles as registrars of .ng domain name.

Akinsanya said NiRA would continue to sensitise Nigerians and Nigerian businesses on the need to populate .ng domain name.