Ghana has reaffirmed its commitment to building a digitally inclusive future as it joined the global community to mark the 2025 Universal Acceptance (UA) Day, led by the E-Governance and Internet Governance Foundation for Africa (EGIGFA).
The event, which brought together stakeholders from government, academia, civil society, and the tech industry, focused on ensuring that all domain names and email addresses—regardless of script, language, or character length—are accepted and function across all digital systems and platforms.
Raymond Mamattah, Founder and President of EGIGFA, emphasized the importance of Universal Acceptance for Africa, a continent rich in linguistic diversity. He noted that enabling local language scripts for domain names and emails is critical to true digital inclusion.
“UA is especially important for us in Africa because of our diverse languages, some of which have their own scripts,” Mamattah said. “It is our duty to ensure these scripts are usable in digital communication, helping us preserve identity while advancing inclusivity.”
Held in collaboration with the Association of African Universities (AAU), UNESCO, the Ghana Domain Name Registry (GDNR), and the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), this year’s UA Day workshop focused on training and adoption—guiding institutions to upgrade their systems for UA compliance.
Professor Olusola Oyewole, Secretary General of the AAU, described Universal Acceptance as a necessity rather than a luxury for Africa’s digital future.
“For a continent with over 2,000 languages, Universal Acceptance is not optional. It is foundational to our digital transformation,” he stated. “We must build an internet that works for everyone, in every language.”
The event underscored that UA is a continuous journey requiring collaborative effort. Mr. Wisdom Kwasi Donkor, Executive Director of GDNR, called for sustained engagement across sectors.
“Universal Acceptance is not a one-time project. It demands the joint effort of developers, government, academia, and civil society,” Donkor said. “GDNR stands ready to lead this transformation both locally and globally.”
As UA Day 2025 concluded, EGIGFA and its partners pledged ongoing collaboration to ensure that no language, script, or community is left behind in Ghana’s digital transformation.
