Nigeria’s internet registry has urged businesses, government agencies and media organisations to adopt .ng, the country’s local domain name, warning that continued reliance on foreign-hosted domains is fuelling economic leakage and undermining digital sovereignty.
.ng is Nigeria’s country code top-level domain, the official internet suffix used to identify websites connected to Nigeria (e.g., www.punch.ng, www.justice.ng, etc. They are not the same as www.punch.com, www.punch.net, or www.justice.com).
Speaking at a media advocacy and capacity-building session in Lagos, the president of the Nigeria Internet Registration Association, Adesola Akinsanya, said the widespread use of generic top-level domains such as .com and .org means much of the value generated in Nigeria’s digital economy is not retained within the country.
“Thousands of Nigerian businesses are effectively building on rented digital land,” Akinsanya said in a keynote address. “They create value locally, but the underlying infrastructure and control sit outside Nigeria’s jurisdiction.”
The event, part of the .ng Media Advocacy and Capacity Building Initiative held on 16 April at NiRA’s secretariat, brought together journalists and industry stakeholders to examine the role of domain names in shaping Nigeria’s digital identity and economic future.
Nigeria’s digital economy has expanded rapidly in recent years, driven by a young population, rising internet penetration and a growing technology ecosystem. However, Akinsanya argued that beneath this growth lies a structural imbalance: while Nigerians actively participate in the global internet economy, they have limited control over its foundational layers.
At the centre of that concern is the domain name system, which determines how individuals and organisations are identified and accessed online. Nigeria’s country code top-level domain, .ng, is administered by NiRA under the global coordination of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers.
Akinsanya said the .ng domain should be seen not merely as a technical resource but as a strategic national asset. “If data is the new oil and platforms are the distribution channels, then domain names are the digital real estate on which value is built,” he said.
Despite this, many Nigerian companies, including public-facing institutions, continue to operate on foreign domains. According to NiRA, this trend contributes to three key risks: erosion of trust, economic leakage and increased exposure to security vulnerabilities.
On trust, Akinsanya noted that locally identifiable domains can provide stronger assurance to users in an era of rising cybersecurity concerns. “When users see a .ng domain, it signals local presence and accountability,” he said, adding that foreign domains often lack that immediate association.
Economic leakage, meanwhile, occurs when payments for domain registration, hosting and associated services flow to foreign entities rather than remaining within Nigeria’s digital ecosystem. While the individual costs may appear modest, Akinsanya said the cumulative impact is significant when viewed across thousands of organisations.
“Value created in Nigeria should ideally be retained and reinvested here,” he said.
Security and jurisdictional risks also feature prominently in NiRA’s argument. Operating on foreign domains can complicate legal oversight, incident response and data protection, particularly when disputes or cyber incidents fall under external jurisdictions.
Although technologies such as DNS Security Extensions are improving the integrity of domain systems globally, Akinsanya said technical safeguards alone are not enough to drive adoption of local domains.
“The challenge is not just infrastructure; it is perception,” he said. “Domain names are still treated as an afterthought, something to be decided at the end of a project, rather than a strategic choice.”
NiRA is seeking to change that narrative by engaging the media, which it sees as a critical partner in shaping public understanding and influencing adoption.
“As journalists, you are not just reporting developments; you are shaping national priorities,” Akinsanya told attendees. “If the significance of ‘.ng’ is not consistently highlighted, it will remain underutilised.”
The association’s media initiative is designed to bridge what it describes as a knowledge gap between technical internet governance issues and public discourse. Topics such as DNS infrastructure, cybersecurity and digital sovereignty are increasingly central to economic competitiveness, yet often receive limited coverage.
Akinsanya said reframing domain names as strategic assets could help reposition them within business and policy decision-making.
“The choice of a domain sits at the intersection of identity, security and economic relevance,” he said. “It should be treated with the same importance as other core business decisions.”
The push for greater adoption of .ng also aligns with broader debates about digital sovereignty across Africa, where governments are seeking to assert more control over data, infrastructure and online services.
Analysts say local domain adoption can support this goal by anchoring digital activity within national jurisdictions, though they caution that uptake will depend on factors such as cost competitiveness, reliability and global visibility.
NiRA maintains that the .ng domain has made significant progress in recent years, including improvements in security standards and operational resilience. However, adoption remains below potential relative to the size of Nigeria’s economy and internet user base.
Akinsanya said unlocking that potential will require coordinated efforts across three fronts: infrastructure development, user adoption and narrative building.
“Through NiRA, we are strengthening infrastructure and driving adoption,” he said. “But shaping the narrative requires collaboration with the media.”
He added that every headline, feature and analysis contributes to how Nigeria is perceived in the digital space and ultimately to whether the country’s internet ecosystem reflects external dependence or internal control.
The call comes at a time when policymakers are increasingly focused on maximising the economic benefits of Nigeria’s digital transformation. By retaining more value within the country, local domain adoption could contribute to job creation, investment and broader economic resilience.
Still, challenges remain. For many businesses, global domains offer familiarity, perceived prestige and easier international reach. Overcoming these perceptions will be key to NiRA’s campaign.
Akinsanya acknowledged the scale of the task but said the long-term benefits outweigh the short-term hurdles.
“The story of Nigeria’s digital future is still being written,” he said. “Whether it reflects dependence or sovereignty will depend on the choices we make today.”
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