Use .gh domain names to promote local internet economy – GDNR to businesses

The Ghana Domain Name Registry (GDNR) has called on stakeholders, including businesses, to buy Ghana domain names (.gh) to promote revenue generation in the local internet space for economic development.
Reverend Dr Nana Yaa Prempeh, Board Chairperson, GDNR, said subscribing to the Ghana domain was a form of patriotism, promoted Ghanaian businesses and the country.
“When you use .com, you are helping to generate revenue for another country but when you use .gh, you are supporting your own nation. If you are in a country and you don’t do anything to promote the growth of the country, then you are not fulfilling your duties as a citizen,” she said.
Dr Prempeh made the call in an interview with the Ghana News Agency after the GDNR organised a meeting with the local internet community to solicit inputs on the re-delegation process to control the GH domain and ways to promote the local internet space.
She said the Registry was going to organise a meeting in March 2023 to sensitise stakeholders, including businesses, companies, and individuals, on the need to use the “.gh” domain names instead of the “.com”.
Nana Kofi Asafu-Aidoo, Executive Director, GDNR, speaking about the mandate of the Registry, said his office as established by section 63 of the Electronics Transaction Act (ETA), 2008, tasked the Registry to manage the GH Domain as a public service in the interest of the local internet community.
The plans of the Registry, he said, were to administer according to the ETA, accredit and license registrars to take part in the ecosystem, and automate as much as possible all the processes involving the registration of domain names.
Others were to expand on working with community building, awareness creation and education, liaise effectively with various government agencies such as Registrar General’s Department (RGD) and National Information Technology Agency (NITA) to grow the domain.
Explaining the importance of the meeting with stakeholders, Mr Asafu-Aidoo was happy with the level of satisfaction expressed by the local community and the inputs they made to successfully complete the re-delegation process.
Among the stakeholders who participated in the meeting are NITA, RGD, Office of the Attorney General, Ministry of the Interior, National Communication Authority, and the Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications.
GNA