The government of Mauritius has initiated a high-level investigation into the affairs of the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) Ltd, a company currently under receivership, citing a "questionable" legal process and significant reputational damage to the island nation, reports ITREALMS.
This designation, ITREALMS gathered, empowers the government to order an immediate and thorough investigation into its operations.
The notice, signed by Dr. Navinchandra Ramgoolam, the Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, among other portfolios, highlights several critical concerns that have prompted this decisive action.
The government asserted that the process leading to AFRINIC being placed in receivership around 2022 is "legally questionable."
In addition, two successive receivers appointed to oversee the election of a new Board have reportedly "failed to effectively discharge their mission" within court-mandated timeframes.
Pointing out that a significant consequence of the receivership is that "no new internet protocol address was able to be issued to the whole of the African continent since November 2024."
This, the Prime Minister said, severely impacting internet growth and connectivity across Africa.
Maintaining that the ongoing state of affairs has caused, and continues to cause, "serious reputational damage to Mauritius as a jurisdiction internationally."
The government, therefore, has also taken cognizance of a press notice dated July 10, 2025, which purportedly indicates that AFRINIC is the subject of a compulsory winding-up petition.
This move, ITREALMS gathered, signals a strong intervention by the Mauritian authorities to address the protracted issues surrounding AFRINIC, a critical organization for internet governance and development across the African continent.
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Industry watchers informed that the outcome of this probe is expected to have significant implications for AFRINIC’s future and the broader African internet community.
Remmy Nweke/DoP
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