ICANN, through a variety of operational activities, helps maintain the stability of the internet. The nonprofit organization also promotes competition, pushes for global representation, and develops bottom-up policies.

Fadi Chehade, CEO of ICANN, has much to say on how Internet access can help revolutionize African business. In a recent interview for CNN Marketplace Africa, Mr. Chehade explained ICANN’s African mission and how the conditions on the ground are ripe for development. Positive economic factors and relative political stability allow innovation to flourish. Even a basic level of internet allows for cross-border networking which once took months (or even a year) to achieve.

Within the past year, ICANN brought African communities and internet leaders together to build an Africa strategy in only months. Mr. Chehade’s bullish views on African innovation include the following:

The internet will bring Africa to the world and will bring the world to Africa in ways that are not restricted by the physical movement”

Mobile innovation in Africa is ahead of the world. Can do things with mobile in Africa you can’t do in California…today”

We understand Africa at the social, political, economic level and it will bring the great African products, youth, innovation, and also spirit to the world”

Africa itself is growing – is rising”

The economic engines of growth are working now at every level – governance, infrastructure, democratic, business growth, education”

As Mr. Chehade concludes, ICANN manages an infrastructure that is completely open and entirely democratic from the bottom up. We must treasure this to ensure the internet is not a thing for the developed world but a tool for everyone.