ICANN called out for Narrow Nominee List in its 2015 Ethos Awards

June 29, 2015July 1, 2015

Nii Quaynor receives his Ethos award from ICANN chair Steve Crocker — Nii Quaynor receives his Ethos award from ICANN Chair Steve Crocker

ICANN has been called out for a narrow choice of nominated award candidates in its latest ‘Multistakeholder Ethos Award’. The award which was started in 2014 was first given to Avri Doria and in 2015 during the ICANN 53 meeting meeting Buenos Aires, Argentina two awards went to Cheryl Langdon Orr and Nii Quaynor.

The 2015 award appears to have surprised the ICANN attendees given it was given to an African candidate who is only known to his colleagues at ICANN and whose real impact may have not been felt in Africa.

Nii Quaynor has been identified almost sarcastically as “the main point man for ICANN in Africa, who was Missing In Action (MIA) for over a decade at ICANN has been facilitated to get the” Ethos Multistakholder” award by ICANN.”

So it is no surprise to interested watchers, his come back at ICANN with the support of his old friend ICANN Chairman Steve Crocker, who got appointed to ICANN Board Chair soon after the New gTLD program was approved by ICANN, gave Nii Quaynor significant advantage to resume influence within the ICANN structures representing African stakeholders just in a period of two years.

Various key appointments was issued to him by ICANN Chairman and CEO such as leader of ICANN ‘s Africa strategy and Chair of Strategy Panel on the Public Responsibility Framework that give him an opportunity to influence various committees at ICANN and by the public endorsement of his old friend Chairman Crocker to and ensuring whatever Quaynor says was an authority on African related issue, including matters pertaining to .africa gTLD. This despite his competencies over the New gTLD and other ICANN programs. The relationship between the two is well known and has been ably articulated in past blog.

For all the many distortions that takes place at ICANN, this award to Nii Quaynor, takes the icing on the cake, when ICANN would likely want the unassuming public to believe that the Nii’s “Ethos multistakholder” award, was rather for Quaynor’s “multiple service on various ICANN committees” out of his own good will and voluntary assistance to ICANN – where his trips to all his participation could not have taken place without the generous sponsorship of ICANN – no less to fulfill ICANN’s own agenda for Africa, in return to his self serving interest on the African gTLD, which he pursued as dotafrica.org, and after so many failures now seen parked as the front face of ZACR registry for .Africa. In this case, less checks and balances, ICANN is promoting their point man as an African authority on ICANN matters, to influence the gullible African governments and the public to exercise what they want. Wake up Crocker, Africa did!

This visibly immature behavior of ICANN leadership and the special interest group led by the same recycled self appointed African leadership which ICANN supports has been identified as the main reason why ICANN continues to fail in its own advances to expand in Africa.

Another blog on Internet Governance went down history lane to give out its findings on this issue, read Nii Quaynor, the MIA Point Man for ICANN in Africa is awarded by ICANN.