Mike Silber Appointed AFRINIC CEO

The African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC) has appointed South African telecommunications and Internet governance veteran Mike Silber as its next Chief Executive Officer, bringing an experienced regulatory and technology executive into the leadership of Africa’s regional Internet registry.

Silber has been named CEO designate and will formally assume the position on 1 January 2027. His appointment follows an extensive recruitment process conducted by the AFRINIC CEO Search Committee and was approved by the AFRINIC Board with the consent of the Receiver. He will take over at a critical point for the organisation as it works to strengthen its operations, governance and relationships with members and stakeholders across Africa.

He currently serves as Group Executive for Regulatory Affairs at MTN Group, where he is responsible for regulatory matters across a telecommunications business serving more than 300 million customers on the continent. His career has also included senior leadership roles at Liquid Intelligent Technologies, where he served as Group Chief Regulatory Officer, and Africa Data Centres, where he was Chief Administrative Officer.

Beyond his corporate roles, Silber has been closely involved in the institutions and processes that underpin the global Internet. He previously served on the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), the organisation responsible for coordinating key elements of the Internet’s domain name system and other Internet identifiers. He also served as vice chair of the Address Supporting Organization Address Council.

His experience extends to international organisations and regulators, including the International Telecommunication Union, the European Union and the African Union. He has also worked with telecommunications regulators across several countries. Silber has held governance positions within South Africa’s Internet ecosystem, including on the boards of the .ZA Domain Name Authority and the Internet Service Providers’ Association of South Africa. He currently serves as a director and chair of the Audit Committee at the Public Interest Registry and as a director of TENET South Africa.

A lawyer admitted to the High Court of South Africa, Silber specialises in Internet and e-commerce law as well as regulation across the technology, media and telecommunications sectors. That combination of legal, regulatory, corporate and Internet governance experience is expected to be central to his role at AFRINIC. The organisation said his appointment is intended to support efforts to restore operational stability, improve transparency and accountability, and rebuild confidence among AFRINIC members, employees, partners and the wider African Internet community.

Silber will also be expected to help address outstanding legal matters and strengthen AFRINIC’s ability to provide services to its members. His appointment comes as AFRINIC seeks to rebuild its institutional foundations and reinforce its role within Africa’s Internet infrastructure ecosystem.

AFRINIC is responsible for managing and allocating Internet number resources across Africa and the Indian Ocean region, including IP addresses and Autonomous System Numbers. These resources are essential to the operation and growth of Internet networks, allowing devices and networks to communicate across the global Internet.

Headquartered in Ebene, Mauritius, AFRINIC was established in 2004 and was formally recognised by ICANN as the world’s fifth Regional Internet Registry in 2005. The organisation serves more than 2,500 members across 56 countries, including Internet service providers, data centres, academic institutions and government organisations. The board has emphasised that Silber’s appointment is part of a broader recovery effort and that AFRINIC’s future will depend on cooperation among its members, employees, partners and other stakeholders.

“AFRINIC’s mission remains to serve as a responsible and effective steward of Internet number resources for Africa,” the board said.

Silber will begin his tenure in January 2027, taking responsibility for an organisation whose work sits at the foundation of Africa’s digital connectivity. His experience across telecommunications regulation, Internet governance, law and corporate leadership gives AFRINIC an executive with a broad understanding of both the policy environment and technical ecosystem surrounding the continent’s Internet infrastructure.