I am pleased to share with you ICANN's final Africa Regional Plan for Fiscal Years (FY) 2021-2025.
The launch of the ICANN Strategic Plan for FY21-25 provided an opportunity to review and realign our engagement plan for Africa. Accordingly, the Global Stakeholder Engagement (GSE) Africa team, in collaboration with the community, initiated the process to align the ICANN Africa Regional Plan with ICANN's. An Africa Strategy Working Group (ASWG2020), made up of 25 diverse representatives selected through a public call, was then formed in January 2020 to develop the regional plan.
The working group began its work by studying the ICANN Strategic Plan for FY21-25, the Africa Strategic Plan, and the accompanying implementation reports taken over the last six years. The working group reviewed feedback from diverse stakeholder groups to ensure the new regional plan is aligned with global strategic objectives and current needs of the community.
This final regional plan presents solutions to some of the current challenges faced by our community, and an action plan to be executed by both the ICANN organization and the ICANN community. It is also in line with the five objectives identified in the ICANN Strategic Plan for FY21-25 but with a regional perspective.
I would like to thank the ASWG2020 and its leadership for working diligently over the past few months in developing the plan despite challenges due to the current global health pandemic. I would also like to thank them for their valuable advice and support in the plan's implementation over the coming years. They have achieved another milestone by developing this document remotely, which is a true testament to the enduring principle of "One world, one Internet."
