THE Nigeria Internet Registration Association has reduced the price of .NG domain by about 40 per cent.
According to the association, which serves as the managers of the .ng domain on behalf of the Nigerian government, this is in a bid to increase access to .ng domains.
In a statement, it said, “NiRA is responsible for maintaining the database of registered names in the .ng country code Top Level Domain namespace in the public interest of Nigeria and the global Internet community.
“Like the currency, the naira and dialing code +234, .ng is Nigerian identity online.
“Domains which are registered on this domain string, therefore, have several benefits which include geo-targeting and the reduction of capital flight as well as contribution to the local economy.”
The President, NiRA, Mr Muhammed Rudman, said, “In the coming days, as more accredited registrars update their various platforms, the price reduction on the purchase of .ng domain names would have the desired effect of increasing the number of active .ng domains online, promoting the nation’s online identity.”
He added that the association operates a registry/registrar/registrant model of operations.
The Chief Executive Officer, WhoGoHost Limited, a .ng accredited registrar, Mr Toba Obaniyi, added, “The importance of a domain name towards your digital identity cannot be over-emphasised.
“For instance, ‘Google would rather serve you results using google.com.ng when you search for information within Nigeria. Interestingly, Google has both com.ng and .ng, extensions, an indication of a forward-looking company. We must embrace Nigerian products to grow the strength of the naira.’
NiRA added that it partners with over 70 accredited companies as registrars.