Why are Nigerians avoiding .NG domains?

Yes! This is a very interesting question that is begging to be answered or maybe it is simply me making assumptions on the use of .ng domains?

Frankly, it is quite amazing that a country with close to a 100 million or more (depending on whose data you choose to use) Internet users has sold less than 100,000 .ng domains to both local and international owners. Yes, it is a somewhat interesting irony especially when I look at the number of .co.za domains that South Africa has been able to push out to the world.

Again, I ask why do you think Nigerians have simply refused to use .ng domains? Who is to blame or is that we believe .ng is not good enough or we don’t just understand its importance to our national brand or we probably need some sort of Government policy to make it somewhat compulsory?

Forgive me for asking too many questions at the same time, I am simply looking for answers.

Yes, I am a .ng ambassador ordained by NiRA – the association responsible for managing the string and part of my National service is to get more Nigerians to use this domain string. Yes, I get to convince some to switch but a majority of people give me all sorts of reason, why they won’t use .ng domains and some of these reasons are simply based on assumptions or hearsay and not facts.

So, if you are reading this post and you have a domain, I’d like you to share why it is not a .ng brand?

Again, let me stress like I stated in my post on Who is to blame for pay on delivery? the foundation of any proper and sustainable development especially in the knowledge economy is the enactment and enforcement of policies.

Imagine, if we had a policy that states that every registered company in Nigeria must use .ng domains? We know this is not an impossible feat, after all the UK and a few other countries are enforcing such policies whether covertly or overtly.

Here are some reasons I believe you should use .ng domains:

1. It is a matter of Nation Pride

Nigeria as a Nation is blessed with this unique domain string known as .ng and we ought be proud of this gift of nature. However, we should not stop at just appreciating it but owning one at the very least.

2. Foreign Exchange is Scarce

I used to be happy paying for my VPS server but not anymore because of the ever-increasing exchange rate and the same goes for .com domain names that I own.

Using the .ng range of domains will contribute to saving our scarce FX.

3.  SEO/Speed/Reduced Latency

Why do you think that Google would rather serve you results using google.com.ng when you search for stuff within Nigeria and if you travel to say Ghana and use the same device it will go ahead and serve you results via google.com.gh?

What is even interesting is that in the case of Nigeria, Google has both com.ng as well as .ng domains, an example of a forward looking company.

4. Local Content Development

We must develop local content by supporting what is ours, imagine what will happen if only 1% of the reported 170 million+ Nigerians decide to own domains that fly the Nigerian colour online, that will be over 1 Million domain names that would eventually serve as the foundation for businesses, ventures and causes on the world-wide web. Would that not further strengthen the Nigerian brand and dignify her on the Internet?

I must commend Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) for a good job and here is a call for more advocacy and education in order to get more Nigerians to appreciate what is ours and get Government to lead the way and let others follow.

The reality is that if Government at any level still uses .com or .org domains, why should average small business owners, who obviously do not have as much resources as Government be urged to switch?

I’ve switched my blog from www.techwithcfa.com to www.techsmart.ng in support of .ng and I am super excited to have made the move.

If you are not using .ng domain yet, I’d like to know why. Some say cost others say security but I like to hear from you.