The Nigeria Internet Registration Association (NiRA) is exploring measures to make internet domain names more affordable and accessible to small and medium-sized businesses.
NiRA President, Mr Adesola Akinsanya, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Saturday in Lagos.
Akinsanya said the initiatives would encourage more Nigerian businesses to establish digital identities using the .ng domain.
He said NiRA also wanted domain owners to register, renew and secure their domains at affordable rates.
According to him, discounted bundle packages offered by NiRA-accredited registrars are among the measures being promoted.
He said the packages could combine .com.ng domains with web hosting, one-page websites and other business tools.
“These packages would provide small businesses with the basic resources required to establish an online presence,” Akinsanya said.
He said NiRA could also introduce SME domain vouchers for businesses accessing digital services through commerce partners and business associations.
Under the proposed arrangement, participating registrars would provide registration services while NiRA would offer wholesale subsidies to reduce costs.
“The initiative could be implemented through partnerships with SMEDAN, the Bank of Industry and state-level SME agencies,” he said.
Akinsanya also mentioned chambers of commerce and digital-skills programmes as potential partners in the proposed initiative.
He said NiRA was examining measures to address domain squatting, involving registration of potentially valuable names for resale or blocking legitimate businesses.
According to him, NiRA currently operates a structured process for resolving domain-name disputes.
He said formal complaints could be submitted to the Registry, which facilitates communication between complainants and registrants.
Newsmen report that the process supports dispute resolution in accordance with NiRA’s domain-name policies and procedures.
Akinsanya said NiRA could also introduce a Brand or Trademark Notification Service to strengthen protection for registered brands.
Under the proposed system, verified trademark owners could register their trademarks with NiRA-accredited registrars.
They would receive alerts whenever exact, similar or related brand names were registered across .ng namespaces.
“The proposed notification system would not automatically give trademark owners ownership of disputed domains,” he said.
He said it would instead provide an early-warning mechanism for identifying potentially problematic registrations.
On renewals, Akinsanya said NiRA currently offered discounts for multi-year renewals covering periods between two and five years.
He said the approach could reduce costs compared with annual renewals while minimising domain losses caused by missed deadlines.