Date: 11 July 2025
Cloud Innovation Ltd. has been a long-standing advocate for fair and transparent governance at the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC). We firmly believed that a free and fair Board election – conducted under proper oversight – would restore stability to AFRINIC’s leadership . However, recent events have demonstrated that a credible election has become impossible under the current conditions, leaving AFRINIC in a perpetual governance deadlock. In light of this impasse – and in alignment with calls from global Internet authorities – Cloud Innovation is reluctantly supporting the formal winding-up of AFRINIC as the only viable path forward to protect the African Internet community’s interests.
Election Impasse: One Disputed Vote Halts an Entire Election
What was meant to be AFRINIC’s revival through democracy instead collapsed due to a single disputed vote. On 23 June 2025, AFRINIC held a court-sanctioned Board election after years of leadership vacuum. Yet “one disputed proxy” vote prompted the court-appointed Receiver to freeze and eventually annul the entire election, “silencing hundreds of valid votes” that had been cast in good faith . This drastic response established a dangerous precedent – observers noted it was “a formula for paralysis: if any one vote can be used to cancel an election, can AFRINIC ever hold a valid one again?” . In other words, the standard now set is that even a lone contested ballot can void the collective voice of the community. Such an unrealistic threshold means no election could ever be conclusively accepted, perpetuating an endless cycle of disputes and disenfranchisement.
Cloud Innovation supported the election process and even facilitated broad member participation (including through proxies) to ensure all voices were heard. We did so in the hope that a legitimate Board would emerge to guide AFRINIC out of crisis. However, the annulment of the election over a single irregularity has undermined that hope. It is now evident that AFRINIC cannot practically hold a valid election under these conditions – the community’s trust has been shaken, and every future vote could be subject to similar cancellation over minor disputes. This impasse serves no one: not the membership, not the African Internet community, and not the cause of good governance.
ICANN’s Intervention and Loss of Confidence in AFRINIC
Compounding the crisis, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) – which officially recognizes AFRINIC as the regional Internet registry for Africa – has raised grave concerns about AFRINIC’s election and overall governance. In a public notice issued 25 June 2025, ICANN warned that “shocking allegations” surrounding the election “raised serious questions” about its legitimacy, putting “AFRINIC’s ability to function as a Regional Internet Registry… in jeopardy.” . ICANN cited multiple irregularities – from proxy abuse to voting credential failures – and demanded immediate remedial action . It made clear that unless the issues were swiftly addressed, ICANN was prepared to initiate a formal compliance review of AFRINIC .
Most significantly, ICANN explicitly threatened to withdraw its recognition of AFRINIC if governance problems remained unresolved. The ICANN notice cautioned that any attempt to declare election results or reinstate a board “without resolving these dysfunctions could prompt ICANN to withdraw recognition”, thereby jeopardizing AFRINIC’s authority to manage IP address resources for the entire African region . ICANN reiterated that AFRINIC’s credibility and continued status as a trusted RIR were at stake . The other Regional Internet Registries, through the Number Resource Organization (NRO), have echoed ICANN’s stance – emphasizing that transparency, neutrality, and accountability in AFRINIC’s elections are essential for the stability of the global Internet numbers system .
Cloud Innovation understands and respects ICANN’s mandate to ensure RIRs uphold the highest standards of integrity. We also note that ICANN’s intervention, while aimed at protecting the community, has inadvertently made a quick resolution harder. The Receiver’s decision to annul the election “seems a logical first step” in light of the discovered disputed proxy , but ICANN rightfully pointed out that simply voiding the vote “does not address many of the questions” about fairness and transparency . Indeed, ICANN stressed that "even just one… is but a symptom… of the compromised election process." In other words, the entire system has deeper flaws that one canceled election cannot fix. We are now faced with an unfortunate reality: international confidence in AFRINIC’s governance has collapsed. Key stakeholders no longer believe AFRINIC can conduct a credible election or meet its obligations as an RIR under the current framework .
Cloud Innovation’s Resolution: Supporting AFRINIC’s Wind-Up
Given this dire situation, Cloud Innovation has had to reassess its position. Our company entered this process in good faith, advocating for fresh elections and reform as the solution to AFRINIC’s troubles . We expended considerable effort through legal channels to enable an election under judicial supervision, sincerely hoping AFRINIC could be revived as a stable and accountable organization . Yet the events of June 2025 and ICANN’s subsequent actions have made it abundantly clear that continuing to push for elections is futile when any single contestation can invalidate the outcome and when global regulators themselves question the legitimacy of the process. Essentially, no one in the broader internet governance system will recognize an AFRINIC board elected under such contentious circumstances. As the saying goes, “since no one wants the election,” we must consider an alternative path.
Reluctantly, Cloud Innovation now believes that the only remaining path to protect the African Internet community is to support the orderly winding up of AFRINIC. By “winding up,” we refer to the legal process of dissolving AFRINIC as a corporate entity and transitioning its responsibilities to a more trusted framework. As a significant resource member of AFRINIC, Cloud Innovation is prepared to formally apply for AFRINIC’s liquidation through the Mauritian courts, in line with applicable laws and court oversight. This decision is not taken lightly; we take it with a heavy heart, understanding the historic role AFRINIC has played. However, continuing the status quo – an organization paralyzed by infighting, legal battles, and now global discredit – is far more detrimental to Africa’s Internet stability.
Our decision aligns with ICANN’s own implied call to “de-credit” or derecognize AFRINIC if it cannot meet its obligations . Rather than waiting for a protracted compliance review or forced derecognition, we believe it is more responsible to proactively initiate the wind-up. This will pave the way for a fresh start in Internet number governance for Africa – whether that means establishing a reformed registry entity or transitioning duties to interim custodians under ICANN/NRO guidance. We emphasize that any such transition must be done in a transparent, community-focused manner, ensuring continuity of IP address allocation and registration services for all AFRINIC members during and after the wind-up process. Cloud Innovation’s goal is to protect the African Internet community from further uncertainty. A disorderly collapse of AFRINIC down the line (for example, via abrupt ICANN derecognition) would be chaotic; a court-managed winding-up, by contrast, can be conducted with safeguards to maintain Internet number resource stability.
Commitment to the Community and the Future
Cloud Innovation remains fully committed to the well-being of Africa’s Internet stakeholders. Our support for AFRINIC’s wind-up is driven by the conviction that the community deserves a functional and trustworthy regional registry, not endless turmoil. We will actively cooperate with ICANN, the NRO, and any future governance structures to ensure that African network operators and Internet users continue to have reliable access to IP address resources throughout this transition. We call upon fellow AFRINIC members and the global Internet governance community to join us in prioritizing the stability and integrity of Internet number resources in Africa. This means making the hard decision now to close the chapter on a failing institution, so that we can channel our efforts into building a new one that has the confidence of its members and the world.
Cloud Innovation’s preference was always to fix AFRINIC from within via democratic means; we pursued that route until it proved unworkable . We share the disappointment of many that it has come to this point. Nevertheless, we believe this course of action – winding up AFRINIC – is in the best interest of the African Internet community. It is a step toward ending the prolonged instability and opening the door for a fresh governance model untainted by past controversies. We are confident that with collaborative effort, the African Internet community can emerge from this crisis with a stronger, more accountable framework for managing its vital numbering resources.
Sincerely,
Cloud Innovation Ltd. – on behalf of its management and as an AFRINIC resource member