From Lyon to Lom=?UTF-8?Q?=C3=A9=2C_?=850 reasons made this my most unforgettable ICANN experience.

[Aaron Promise Mbah]

May her soul rest in peace 🕊️
Aaron Promise Mbah
Technology Policy & Innovation Strategist
+7996647-16-32
https://www.linkedin.com/in/mbahaaronpromise



On Tue, 29 Apr 2025, 17:43 Kossi Amessinou, <amessinoukossi at gmail.com>
wrote:

> Dear Emmanuel,
> This is very good and inspirante action!
>
> *Kossi AMESSINOU*
> *Chef du Service du Suivi et d'Accompagnement du Secteur
> Privé/DGE/MEF/Bénin*
> *Enseignant chercheur- collaborateur externe à l'Université
> d'Abomey-Calavi au Bénin*
>
> *Président et formateur de l'ONG Women Be Free en appropriation du
> numérique*
>
> *Head of the private sector monitoring and support service/DGE/MEF/ Bénin*
>
>
> *Teacher researcher - external collaborator at the University of
> Abomey-Calavi in ​​BeninPresident and trainer of the NGO Women Be Free in
> digital appropriation*
> *Docteur en Sciences de l'Information et de la Communication*
> *Expert en gouvernance de l'internet, en transformation digitale et en
> études du Développement*
> Ancien Directeur de l'Informatique et du Pré-archivage
> Ancien Coordonnateur de projet et Chef service informatique
> Téléphone/Whatsapp: +229 95 19 67 02 |+*229 99 38 98 17*
> Boîte Postale: 01BP7304 Cotonou - Bénin
> Emails: kamessinou at finances.bj|amessinoukossi at gmail.com
> http://www.facebook.com/amessinoukossi |
> www.linkedin.com/pub/kossi-amessinou
>
> Le ven. 25 avr. 2025, 00:52, Emmanuel Vitus <emmanuelvitus at gmail.com> a
> écrit :
>
>> Dear all,
>>
>> Last week, I spent my holidays in Lomé, Togo, with the Internet Society
>> Chapter (ISOC Togo), a proud NPOC member organization, to help organize
>> what was likely the largest Universal Acceptance (UA) Day event to date.
>> And I must say, this might just be the most rewarding experience I have had
>> since joining the ICANN community.
>>
>> We gathered at the École Polytechnique of the University of Lomé, where
>> we had initially planned to host around 50 participants. But the response
>> was overwhelming. To accommodate the unexpected turnout, we regrouped the
>> event across 2 separate amphitheaters. One was set up for onsite
>> participants and the other enabled hybrid participation, allowing us to
>> successfully engage over 850 bachelor and master’s students, including 300
>> onsite and 550 online. We were joined by 35 lecturers, including 22 full
>> professors in computer science and related fields. The energy, curiosity,
>> and level of engagement from both students and faculty were truly inspiring.
>>
>> Spending a day with ICANN staff, including Yaovi Atohun who joined us in
>> person and Nabil Benamar who participated virtually from Morocco, brought
>> immense value to the program. The sessions were highly interactive,
>> covering both awareness on Universal Acceptance and hands-on technical
>> training and configuration exercises. The results were powerful and
>> immediate. A total of 223 new members joined the ISOC chapter that day, the
>> largest single-day recruitment since 2001. 79% of participants expressed
>> strong interest in joining ICANN and UA-related working groups.
>>
>> This experience reminded me why we do what we do. Togo, a small country
>> with over 42 local languages, where only French is currently supported
>> under the Latin Script Root Zone Label Generation Rules (RZ LGR), was at
>> the heart of a moment of deep pride. I am convinced that in 5 to 10 years,
>> these young people will achieve what many in my generation never dared to
>> attempt.
>>
>> For those wondering where Togo is located, it is a beautiful West African
>> country, a former German then French colony, nestled between Ghana and
>> Benin, and known for its peaceful coastline and white sand beaches.
>>
>> I also realized something personal. Sharing knowledge is far more
>> fulfilling than my 8 to 5 routine back in France. That was my honest
>> reflection.
>>
>> And one last exciting note. The University of Lomé has officially
>> expressed interest in integrating Universal Acceptance into its academic
>> curriculum. This could be a real game-changer for sustainable capacity
>> building in the region. That was how the ICANN UA Day 3000 USD grant was
>> spent :)
>>
>> See the hopeful faces and the energy of the day via this album
>> <https://www.flickr.com/photos/201552796@N05/albums/72177720325123386/>
>>
>> Warm regards,
>>
>> *Emmanuel Vitus, **NPOC Policy Chair*
>>
>
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