(Business in Cameroon) – Major players in Cameroon’s telecommunications sector have convened in Douala for the fifth National DNS Forum, seeking urgent solutions to accelerate the rollout of security for the national “.cm” domain. While the government officially activated the Domain Name System Security Extensions (DNSSEC) protocols in April 2025, full adoption still lags, which explains this high-level gathering to close the gap.
Held from 8 to 10 December 2025, the forum brings together key internet service providers—including CAMTEL, MTN, Orange, and Creolink—under the guidance of the National Agency for Information and Communication Technologies (ANTIC). Global internet governance bodies, ICANN and AFRINIC, are providing technical support.
The primary agenda is addressing the slow uptake of the security measures introduced eight months ago. Although ANTIC activated the protocols to prevent spoofing and fraudulent redirections, current data shows a DNSSEC validation rate of only 56.60 per cent. This disparity means that despite the available technology, nearly half of Cameroon’s internet users remain vulnerable to data interception and online fraud because operators have not fully integrated the standards.
Opening the forum, ANTIC Director General Prof. Ebot Ebot Enaw stressed that the gathering is designed as a practical working platform to resolve these technical bottlenecks. He set an aggressive deadline for the operators, mandating a rise in national validation rates to 98 per cent by the first half of 2026.
“The immediate objective is to ensure that all operators align their systems with international security standards,” Prof. Enaw stated, emphasising that the technology’s economic potential—securing e-commerce and government services—cannot be realised without full industry participation.
In addition to fixing the DNSSEC rollout, the stakeholders are discussing a parallel target of achieving 100 per cent implementation of the Resource Public Key Infrastructure (RPKI) to secure internet routing. The outcome of this forum is expected to be a decisive factor in whether Cameroon can successfully position itself as a trusted and stable digital economy in the coming year.
Mercy Fosoh
