Madagascar in the Spotlight at Afnic's International College

During the renewal of Afnic's governance bodies held in early June 2025, Professor RAZAFINDRAKOTO Raft, Chairman of the Board of NIC.MG, was elected as the Representative of the International College on Afnic’s Board of Directors.
It is worth noting that Afnic (the French Network Information Centre for Internet Naming in Cooperation) is the registry operator for the .fr domain and also manages several other extensions. Afnic plays a central role in the French and Francophone domain name ecosystem, combining operational management, research support, and active involvement in internet governance. Its Board of Directors brings together representatives from various stakeholders: founding members, registrars, civil society representatives, users, qualified individuals… and an International College.
The International College is made up of foreign registries that partner with Afnic, mainly from Francophone countries or overseas territories, who share a common vision of an inclusive, stable internet that supports local development. Its purpose is to promote cooperation among registries, facilitate the exchange of expertise and experiences, and amplify the voice of registries from developing countries or those with strong territorial specificities. The elected representative of this College sits on Afnic’s Board to bring these perspectives to the highest decision-making level.
The election of Professor RAZAFINDRAKOTO Raft to this position reflects the trust placed in NIC.MG by its international peers, as well as recognition of the work accomplished in recent years in developing the Malagasy registry and fostering regional and Francophone cooperation. It also illustrates the growing momentum of African registries engaging in digital governance bodies.
This mandate comes at a time of rapid transformation in the sector, marked by changing digital usage, cybersecurity challenges, increasing needs for local DNS management capacity, and issues related to digital sovereignty. In this context, the voice of the registries from the International College has a strategic role to play.
NIC.MG extends its warmest congratulations to Professor RAZAFINDRAKOTO Raft on his election and wishes him great success in his mission. His involvement will help strengthen solidarity between registries, bring forward concrete proposals in a spirit of shared development, and enhance Madagascar’s position in international digital ecosystems.