NDSF 2019: Stakeholders Demand Executive Order To Accelerate IPv6 migration
By Pelumi Olaleye
Operations Director, DigitalSENSE Africa Media, Mrs. Nkem Nweke said the immediate implementation of executive order within a timeline of 18 months would be a booster to the migration from IPv4 to IPv6.
This was said in a communiqué at the 10th edition on Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) organized by DigitalSENSE Africa Media, themed: “Connecting Nigerians for Enhanced Internet Governance” and Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable, in Commemoration of the World IPv6 Day with the theme “IPv6: An Ingredient For Enhance Internet”
“There should be an Executive Order for all Digital Networks in Nigeria to migrate from IPv4 to IPv6 within 18 months,” part of the communiqué read.
They also called for immediate revision of the National Information and Communications Technology (ICT) policies to pave the way for the establishment of the ‘National Digital Strategy’ for the country.
Government, participants urged, should ensure that all new IT equipment supplied to them are IPv6 compliant and Government should set a target date for MDAs to have IPv6 compliant networks, outside the national deadline.
“There should be IPv6 awareness and capacity building by organizing seminars and trainings, possibly incorporating IPv6 into university curriculum,” the communiqué also read.
By government playing actively in the growth and development of ICT in Nigeria will facilitate enabling environment for stakeholders, while on the other hand students, youth and women and indeed all good users of the internet were encouraged to make judicious use of the internet bearing in mind the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) existing in the European Union.
Additionally, participants demanded that government should make haste to sign into law the Digital rights and freedom bill which seeks for equal freedom of expression online.
However, participants at the 2019 Nigeria DigitalSENSE Forum on the Internet Governance for Development (IG4D) and Nigeria IPv6 Roundtable, have called on the President Muhammadu Buhari to initiate an executive order to fast-track migration of digital networks in Nigeria to IPv6.