The first edition of the "DNS & Brand Lab Ouagadougou" was held on October 29, 2026, in Burkina Faso. Organized by Digitales Solidaires in collaboration with national and international partners, the event brought together around 50 participants online. The main message of the meeting was that a domain name is a strategic asset for a company, just like its brand or commercial name. Experts emphasized the importance of understanding and managing the technical resources that support business activities.
The event highlighted the importance of domain names in a company's digital identity and credibility. Many Burkinabé businesses are unaware of who owns their domain name or has access to manage it. If a domain name expires or falls into the wrong hands, a company risks losing access to its website, professional email, and part of its customer base. Rodrigue Guiguemdé, president of Digitales Solidaires, urged entrepreneurs to go beyond simple Internet use and understand the technical resources supporting their activities.
The meeting also focused on the national extension ".bf" and its significance for Burkinabé businesses. Izaï Toé, secretary general of the Burkinabé Internet Domain Alliance (ABDI), stressed the importance of promoting the ".bf" extension, sovereignty, and digital inclusion. Abdoul Aziz Kabré, president of Internet Society Burkina Faso, emphasized the need to protect digital assets with the same rigor as material goods. Participants were advised to verify the identity of their domain name holder, keep access control, and monitor renewal deadlines.
Experts discussed the criteria for choosing a good domain name, including simplicity, memorability, coherence with the activity, and availability on the Internet and social networks. Ismaël Ouédraogo from ECODEV International presented these criteria. The event also clarified the relationships between domain names, commercial names, and registered trademarks. Guy Édouard Bouda, a mission officer at ABDI, explained that these elements are complementary but do not automatically have the same legal protections.
The event addressed the issue of cybersquatting, which involves registering a domain name corresponding to a trademark to profit from it. Mechanisms for resolving disputes were presented, including the international UDRP procedure for generic extensions and the national device applicable to ".bf". The main advice given to entrepreneurs was to anticipate risks by protecting their trademark and domain names simultaneously, rather than waiting for a conflict to arise.
Cybersecurity was another major topic discussed at the event. Jediel Adefoulou from Cyberspector presented the main threats, including phishing, domain name diversion, identity usurpation, and typosquatting. To mitigate these risks, several protection measures were recommended, such as activating multi-factor authentication, automatic renewal, and locking sensitive operations. Technical devices like DNSSEC, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC were also mentioned.
The event concluded with a discussion on the governance of the Internet and African digital sovereignty. Hervé Hounzandji, representative of AFRALO, presented the mechanisms allowing African users to participate in ICANN's work. Yaovi Atohoun, ICANN representative for engagement in Africa, explained the functioning of the domain name system (DNS) and the opportunities offered by the creation of new Internet extensions. The discussions highlighted the weak African presence in this industry, with only 16 African candidatures among 1,615 applications.
Key points
- The event aimed to educate businesses on protecting their domain names and digital identity.
- Experts emphasized the importance of understanding and managing technical resources supporting business activities.
- The national extension ".bf" was highlighted as an opportunity for Burkinabé businesses to assert their identity and develop a coherent digital presence.
