ACCRA, GHANA – The Ghana Domain Name Registry (GDNR) recently hosted a high-level delegation from the Liberia Telecommunications Authority (LTA) for an intensive three-day working visit aimed at fostering regional collaboration and knowledge exchange. The visiting delegation, which included Commissioner Angela C. Bush and Senior Engineer Joe Jomah Kerkula, sought to gain a comprehensive understanding of Ghana’s domain name registry operations and its broader digital ecosystem. The visit underscores the growing importance of cross-border partnerships in securing and managing Africa’s digital identity.
The mission commenced with a warm arrival and welcome session, followed by a formal courtesy call on the Chief Director of the Ministry of Communication, Digital Technology and Innovation (MoCDTI), Mr. Alexander Arphul. This meeting highlighted the strategic alignment between the two nations in advancing digital technology and innovation. Following this, the Executive Director of GDNR, Mr. Wisdom Donkor, officially received the delegates, setting the stage for a series of deep-dive technical sessions designed to share best practices in registry management.
During the first day, the GDNR team delivered a detailed presentation outlining the legal and policy frameworks that govern the .gh country code Top-Level Domain (ccTLD). The discussions spanned critical technical and administrative areas, including the GDNR Bill, the transition from IPv4 to IPv6, and the intricacies of registry architecture and automation. The LTA delegation explored the roadmap for DNSSEC implementation and the role of the Security Operation Centre (SOC) in maintaining the integrity of the national namespace. These sessions provided the visitors with insights into how GDNR manages redundancy in DNS operations and navigates the redelegation process.
The learning experience extended beyond the boardroom with a practical visit to the Pan African Internet Exchange (PAIX) Data Centres. This tour allowed the LTA delegates to witness first-hand the infrastructure that supports internet exchange and data hosting in Ghana, reinforcing the technical concepts discussed earlier in the day. The visit to PAIX served as a vital link between policy discussions and the physical infrastructure necessary to maintain a robust and resilient internet presence.
The second and third days of the visit expanded the scope to include Ghana’s broader digital governance landscape. The delegation visited several key sister agencies, including the National Communications Authority (NCA) and the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS). These visits offered a holistic view of how different regulatory bodies collaborate to protect data, manage communication standards, and utilize statistics for national planning.
The working visit concluded with technical tours of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA), including the National Data Centre, and the Ghana-India Kofi Annan Centre of Excellence in ICT (GI-KACE). These final stops highlighted Ghana’s commitment to ICT capacity building and high-performance computing infrastructure. The three-day mission ended with a formal debriefing marking the successful completion of a visit that has further solidified the digital ties between Ghana and Liberia.
