The Supreme Court has ruled to place Afrinic, the regional Internet registry for Africa, into receivership. This decision follows a case brought against Afrinic by Cloud Innovation on March 15, 2023.
The receiver’s role is to maintain Afrinic’s assets and preserve its business value.
AfriNIC, short for African Network Information Centre, is a regional internet registry (RIR) that manages the distribution and allocation of internet number resources (such as IP addresses and ASNs) within Africa and the Indian Ocean region.
It is one of the five RIRs worldwide that coordinate the allocation and registration of these resources to internet service providers (ISPs), organizations, and network operators.
AfriNIC plays a crucial role in ensuring the equitable and efficient distribution of IPv4 and IPv6 address space, which is essential for the growth and development of the internet infrastructure in Africa.
The appointed Official Receiver, Vasoodayven Virasami, will oversee the appointment of a new CEO and constitute a complete board for the company.
Currently, Afrinic’s board only has four directors, whose tenures are set to end on September 18. This situation arose due to governance issues, leading to the suspension and departure of CEO Eddy Kayihura.
This has hindered the replacement of the CEO since November 2022, as a minimum of five directors is required for a quorum according to Afrinic’s constitution.
The lack of a complete board also affected Afrinic’s legal representation in an ongoing case. The court decided that without proper representation, Afrinic’s case could not be appropriately mandated.
Virasami clarified that the order does not imply liquidation, but rather aims to constitute a new board and CEO.
Elections for the board are expected within six months, with the possibility of an extension. Cloud Innovation CEO, Lu Heng, welcomed the ruling, emphasising the importance of stability for Afrinic.
Cloud Innovation is engaged in multiple lawsuits over IPv4 addresses, further underlining the significance of stable management for the regional internet registry.
Source: Capacity Media
