NiRA Hits 241,000 Active .Ng Domains, Pushes Adoption

In Short

• NiRA says Nigeria has 241,000 active .ng domains.
• The past year included 98,285 new registrations, 71,470 renewals, and 1,970 restorations.
• NiRA and NITDA say they will push wider .ng and .gov.ng adoption across public institutions.

What Happened

The Nigeria Internet Registration Association, NiRA, says it has reached 241,000 active .ng domains. NiRA disclosed the number in Abuja while presenting its 2025 annual report and 2026 business plan to the National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA.

NiRA broke the last 12 months of activity into 98,285 new domain registrations, 71,470 renewals, and 1,970 restorations. A “restoration” is when an expired domain is recovered after it has lapsed, usually during a limited grace period.

NiRA President Adesola Akinsanya said the association is also making security upgrades, including DNSSEC. DNSSEC, short for Domain Name System Security Extensions, helps stop attackers from redirecting users to fake websites by adding a verification layer to domain lookups.

NITDA Director-General Kashifu Inuwa backed NiRA’s 2026 initiatives and asked the association to work with NITDA’s e-Governance and Digital Economy Department for implementation and tracking. Both organisations also discussed joint awareness and capacity-building efforts to encourage state governments, local councils, and public institutions to use .ng and .gov.ng domains.

NiRA also said it is upgrading internal systems with more automation and reviewing its constitution to align with global standards.

Why It Matters

For startups and SMEs, local domains can shape trust and discoverability, especially for services targeting Nigerian users. For government agencies, a standard .gov.ng footprint supports clearer digital identity and can reduce confusion from lookalike sites.

The security focus is also timely. As more services move online, domain-level protections like DNSSEC can reduce some common phishing risks, although it does not replace good website security and user education.

NiRA has previously faced a challenge: .ng adoption has not always grown steadily. Its 2026 plan, including outreach to startups and alignment with tech events, is an attempt to keep registrations rising and make .ng the default choice nationwide.