As part of my research with the Diplo Foundation, I am required to present a case study of the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) and Ghana’s (.gh domain space) comes handy. I found that registering for a .gh domain is cumbersome and the price is ridiculously high. Seriously, I wont know the reason why it is so in the case of Ghana and moreover, it does not make any marketing sense.
First of all, whilst a generic top-level domain (gTLD) - for example, .com, .net, .edu - costs just around $9 per year, a .gh is almost 5 times expensive ($42.66). Even though many Ghanaians are generally willing to have a .gh domain names, they would rather go for the generic top-level domains (gTLDs) because the ccTLDs are simply too expensive. Only last year, it cost $35 and one would have thought that if there are proposed changes in price, it would be downward but this is obviously not the case. Why wouldn’t I chose to register a .net domain instead. Moreover, the .gh is not being marketed as it should. Many organisations would like to register these domains but they cannot even tell where to register them or in case they do have to go through a cumbersome process of registering them.
I saw a comment which sought to relate a ccTLD to a “made in Ghana good” on the public participation site of Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and I absolutely agree with that. This certainly gives Ghanaians some form of identity on the web and I think it is absolutely necessary that the authorities in charge have a re-look at marketing the ccTLDs and reducing the prices.
Where to get a .gh domain name
The Ghana Network Information Center (ghNIC) was set up in 1997 and incorporated in 2003 as a not-for-profit company under the laws of Ghana to carry on the work of providing Network services for the development of network infrastructure and managing the .gh domain space but has been relatively ineffective in doing so. The current structure is for ghNIC to manage the .gh domain space administratively and Network Computer Services (NCS) which is the company Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor an Internet poineer and a Jon Postel Award winner, to manage the .gh domain space technically.
GhNIC adopted the hierarchical structure of namimg such as a .com.gh even though there are instances of the flat structure of naming domains such as .gh.
I concur with you. Its not only ridiculously expensive but information as to where to buy it from is so scarce. People are not aware of where to buy a ccTLD domain.
Simply put, GhNIC are not doing their work well.
Henry, right on point! I believe it is time the Internet Community puts some pressure on them to deliver.