|
Above and in the two photos
below: Domain Summit Africa 2026 got underway Sunday evening (February
22) when those checking in early enjoyed a pre-conference Networking
Party at the Villa Rosa Lempinski. (All photos in this article
are courtesy of Domain Summit and their global partners, Freename,
Team Internet,
Site.pro and it.com
Domains)
On Monday morning
(February 23) it was time to get down to business with Domain
Summit Founder Helmust Meskonis welcoming attendees (below).
Opening comments came from
Kenic CEO Andrew Mwanyota Lewela (above) and fellow Kenic team
leaders, CMO Gitau Muraguri and Chairman Paul Kariuki Ndungu.
Kenic administers Kenya's .ke country code top level domain.
At 10:30am, attendees heard from
Kenyan Cabinet Secretary and Guest of Honour William Kabogo
(above). William oversees the Ministry of Information, Communications and
the Digital Economy.
ICANN was also well
represented by PMP Bob Ochieng (above), Senior Director of the ngTLD Program.
As you would expect with a new round of gTLDs coming this year, that was a
prime topic of conversation at Domain Summit Africa.
Above: Site.pro CEO Filip
Borcov was up next. Filip launched Site.pro in
2014 and grew it into a premier white-label website builder.
Site.Pro integrates effortlessly with hosting platforms spanning Europe,
Africa, North America, and beyond with a special focus on SMB providers
with 1 to 300 servers.
Above & Below: In addition
to the many business seminars, attendees took advantage of special
workshops presented throughout the conference and the opportunity to visit
a wide variety of service providers in the Exhibit area.
Above: Team Internet CEO
Michael Riedl catches up with Domain Summit Founder Helmuts
Meskonis in the Exhibit area.
Back on the Main Stage at
11:30am Freename Business Development leaders Theo May
(above) and Reynard Rion Putra van Weeren detailed the company's
new Domora platform that opens the door to fractional domain
ownership.
Above & below: At 12 Noon,
Team Internet VP Commercial Sara Rego demonstrated how the company
helps customers and partners unleash the full potential of their online and digital marketing investment. Whether it’s buying, selling, or registering domains, running an online business, securing online brands,
monetizing domains, or optimizing digital marketing and product comparison activity,
Team Internet can do it.
In the final session before
the 1PM lunch break Monday, Lucky Masilela
(above) the CEO at ZA Central Registry (ZACR) presented
everythingt he audience needed to know about the .africa
TLD. .Africa was launched in 2017 as
a specialized, open top-level domain for the African continent
. It serves as a unified digital identity for businesses, individuals,
and organizations targeting African markets or seeking a pan-African
online presence.
Above: Most attendees will
tell you that networking is the best thing about domain
conferences, providing invaluable opportunities to meet face to face,
create new relationships and strengthen existing ones.
Above & below: In the first
afternoon session Monday, HostAfrica COO Murray Muller told
attendees to how to take advantage of the world-class hosting & support
services offered by a trusted hosting provider that currently serves over
20,000 customers..
At 3PM, Grace Ingabire (above with
audience below), CEO for the Rwanda Internet Community and Technology Alliance
(RICTA), detailed how RICTA manages Rwanda’s .rw ccTLD and the Rwanda Internet Exchange Point
(RINEX). She also serves as a Director on the AfTLD Executive
Committee, contributing to the growth and coordination of African
ccTLDs.
In the final business session of
Day 1 Monday, Ayoub Kehel, Founder of ArabDomainAcademy.com,
spoke about Domains in Demand: What the Arab World is Registering and Who They Trust.
Ayoub is a domain name investor and consultant, internet marketer, and YouTube
Instructor.
Above & below: Day 2
Tuesday (February 24), began with a 9:30am session on What really happened to traditional domain parking and where it stands today?
presented by DomainProfi Founder Martin Steinkamp. Martin has been
offering domain name registration services since 1997 and is
actively involved in the domain industry. DomainProfi GmbH, founded in
2008 has established itself as a leading specialist for the management of
large customer domain portfolios, currently managing over 350,000 domains
for 6,000 customers.
A 10am panel discussion followed
with advice on Selling African ccTLDs Worldwide: Registrar Strategies and Real-World Lessons.
With Helmuts Meskonis moderating, it featured Wycliffe Onduu (Managing DirectorHostAfrica),
Stifan Hiwale (Business HeadDomgate), Opeyemi Awoyemi (EvangelistOla.cv)
and Aman Singh (Senior Manager, Connect Reseller).
Above: Domain Summit Africa 2026
attendees document their experience. Below: Freename's Reynard Rion Putra van Weeren
(left) catches up with Ayoub Kehel, Founder of
ArabDomainAcademy.com.
At 11am, Tyto Insights
Co-Founders Inge Odendall and Mark Botros (right) talked
about Dns.Business - Progress and thinking around data analytics, specifically in relation to the
.za SLD namespace and .africa gTLD. 
Above & below: At 11:30, DomainConvo
Founder Roland Alexander hosted a session titled A story of a Domain Broker.
Having broker multiple 7-figure deals, Roland's goal was helping African entrepreneurs
see the opportunities in brokerage and navigate their way into the
field.
Above & below: At 12 noon
Tuesday, Neil Dundas, CEO for the ZA Central Registry (ZACR)
and co-owner of Domain Name Services (Pty) Ltd, the technical registry service provider to
ZACR and the .ZA Domain Name Authority (ZADNA), took the stage to
cover business across the continent. Through his association with the Mauritius based DNS Africa
Ltd, which he co-founded and currently serves as a director, Neil has also played an active part in the application, launch and technical administration of the continent wide
.Africa top level domain.
Above & below: At 12:30,
attendees heard from Munir Badr, the Founder of both AEserver.com
and the Domain Days Dubai conference that has brought more
attention to the Middle East and Africa region. AEserver has a huge clientele including medium to large companies in the UAE, major airlines, real estate agencies, online
shops and government websites. Munir covered the latest trends that have
made the region one of the hottest in the world for emerging
opportunities.
Above: A panel discussion
followed, covering the ins and outs of Domain Names & Hosting.
It featured Wycliffe Onduu, Managing Director HostAfrica (above),
Carsandás (Karson) Adamo, CEO TurboHost and Brian Mwenda,
Founder, HostPinnacle.
Above & below: The final
business session of Domain Summit Africa 2026 focused on an
especially timely topic the New GTLD Round - Technologies and Opportunities.
It featured, left to right, Helmuts Meskonis, Team Internet CEO Michael
Riedl, RegistryAfrica CEO Lucky Masilela and it.com Domains
Business Development Manager Rolandas Jepertas.
Above and in the three photos
below: With business now out of the way it was time for an energetic,
colorful grand finale. One of the best things about the world's top
regional domain conferences is the opportunity to absorb and enjoy local
cultures. This dance troupe delivered a joyous and unforgettable
experience on that count.
As the curtain came down on Domain
Summit 2026 everyone waved goodbye - but just for now. Helmuts
Meskonis has already confirmed the show will be back neat year in
another attractive location - Diani Beach, Kenya (to be held before
Ramadan). Helmuts told us 2027support has already been pledged by Team
Internet. KeNIC (Kenya), ZARC (South Africa) and RICTA (.rw - Rwanda).
Helmuts is looking even further out, noting "it will be Rwanda
in 2028, then continuing to move so all African ccTLDs can
experience the benefits of being a home-host of a Domain Summit
Africa events." As for the
inaugural show that just ended, Helmuts told us, "I believe we
experienced a miracle this year. We got covered by a number of major
radio and TV stations and it was became more than just an event. It
seems we have started something epic and historical. This event
unites Africa and I truly believe that!" |
