Securing Nigerian Websites!
 

National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) is mandated to formulate and implement a National I.T Policy in order to achieve socio-economic development of Nigeria. To this end NITDA had come up with several policy initiatives, many of which are in the pipe whilst there are several that are available on NITDA website http://www.nitda.gov.ng/policies.aspx As there are other policies to be fine-tuned, NiRA with other stakeholders were invited to Benin City, Edo State to review “The Development of Standards and Guidelines for Website Security Authentication and Certification in Nigeria”. The group gathered to consider website security authentication and certification program for Nigerian websites. NITDA aims to guide in the provision of security that can protect both data and the user. At the end of the day, all Nigerian websites would be required to adopt the approved standards for the protocol to make the websites secured.

Mr. Peter Jack, the Director General of NITDA had made the development of Standards and Guidelines, the cornerstone of his administration. His aim was to ensure that NITDA delivers on its mandate as captured in the NITDA Act.
Several contributions were made by stakeholders on the minimum standards for website Authentication and Certification, Encryption System and Network Infrastructure, etc. As part of the standards, it was also suggested that since the use of Internet in Nigeria is pervasive, minimum level of education should be set for Internet users. It was suggested that Computer Professionals Registration Council of Nigeria (CPN) and other related bodies should introduce the curriculum that will teach basic Internet usage in our educational system starting at the primary level.

NIGERIA PHENOMENAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR INTERNET GROWTH

Yours truly granted an interview to Mr. Chima Akwaja of Leadership Newspapers on the 2^nd September 2015 at the NiRA Office Complex. We basically spoke about the opportunities available for growth in the number of .ng domain names and the hosting opportunities in Nigeria as a result of the number of .ng domain names. This is actually a bold initiative, targeting to host every registered .ng domain name. We discussed how hosting abroad also results in capital flight.
We plan to ensure that Nigerians register Nigerian domains and host same in Nigeria.
To read more about the article, click on the link http://www.leadership.ng/business/460672/nigeria-has-phenomenal-opportunities-for-internet-growth-folayan

Collectively we need to adopt the right strategies and develop the infrastructure for the growth we desire.

Your President,

Rev. Sunday Folayan

TECH SPEAK

SEO FOR WEBSITE DOMAIN NAMEs

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the activity of optimizing web pages or whole sites in order to make them more search engine friendly, thus getting higher positions in search results.
As you decide to conduct an online business, you need to deliberate and decide on your website domain name. Before you choose a domain name, you need to consider the following

1. Target audience
2. Product to sell or market. Is it a tangible item or just text content?
3. Uniqueness of business idea or something different from everything else that is already on the market.

• .ng website has the exact same potential to rank well within search engines, assuming it provides valuable content to the Internet community.
• How does .ng domain names rank against other TLDs? Do Google and the other search engines treat it the same? Does it have the same potential to rank high in search engines? The short answer is: YES.

• Its availability. It enables organizations/individuals to use domain names that are not available on other TLDs. While it might be impossible to have www.prayer.com. It’s very possible to have the same name using prayer.com.ng, prayer.org.ng, etc. This way, you maintain your name thereby making it a searchable name, ranking well on Google Nigeria.
• It's Relevant. An optimized URL name is one of the most important aspects of SEO. In order to rank well in search engines for a site owner's key terms, it is highly beneficial to have those terms in the domain name.
• TLD uniqueness. One of your marketing goals should be to build a distinct brand that stands out from your competitors. Start by choosing a unique and distinctive domain name. .ng ccTLD can complete most of the action words, otherwise known as keywords, thereby making it possible to register domain names like shini.ng, lovi.ng, codi.ng, faci.ng etc., which sound attractive and unique.

NEWS!

 ICANN Launch of Fellowship and NextGen Application for ICANN55
 

ICANN launched the application rounds, valid till 16^th October 2015, for both the NextGen and Fellowship Programs for participation in ICANN55, Marrakech, Morocco in March 2016. By 11^th December 2015, successful candidates will be announced on the ICANN website.

The Fellowship Program
Participants are sought from developing countries for the ICANN Fellowship program. This is in order to help create a broader base of knowledgeable constituents to engage in the Multi-stakeholder process and become the new voice of experience in their regions and beyond. The Fellowship Program had built a strong group of individuals who are actively participating in all of the ICANN communities as well as various Internet Governance entities within the Internet Ecosystem. Their engagement ranges from writing articles and blogs, providing online or in-person public comment in regard to bottom up policy building, engaging in Internet conferences and panel discussions, lifting a pen in working groups, mentoring newcomers, assisting our regional leaders and becoming leaders themselves. To know about the selection process, go to https://www.icann.org/resources/pages/committee-2012-02-25-en
              
The NextGen Program
The NextGen ICANN program is education and awareness based experience, designed for a smaller, younger and more region-specific group of participants. Applicants must be between the ages of 18 and 30, live in the region of the meeting, and be engaged in some level of higher education. Each selected member will deliver a 5-10 minute presentation on a topic relevant to the community. Recent presentation topics include Internet governance, DNS, and the future of the Internet. Click on the link to apply https://www.icann.org/forms/nextgen/application

NiRA Resource Centre Attractions

The Training Hall, Conference Room and Cafeteria at NiRA, 8 Funsho Williams Avenue, Iponri, Surulere, Lagos, are available for hire to NiRA Stakeholders and members for corporate events, such as training, board meeting, business breakfast, business luncheon and related business fora in the Domain Name Business.
The Training Hall has the capacity to seat 100 people and the promo rental fee is N100,000.00 (One Hundred Thousand Naira Only) from 8am to 5pm.
The Conference Room can accommodate 30 people and the promo rental fee is N30,000.00 (Thirty Thousand Naira Only) from 8am to 5pm.
The Cafeteria is available only to those hosting approved functions.
The promo which started from 1^st May 2015 would last until 31^st October 2015.
Terms and Conditions apply. For more details, please call +234(0) 700 CALL-NIRA and +234(0)8172004272. Email: admin@nira.org.ng and coo@nira.org.ng