<div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Dear NCUC Community Members,<br>
<br>
</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Thank you for
supporting my nomination to be elected as EC </span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">Africa
representative. As required, below is my candidate statement:</span><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></b></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><strong>Name: </strong>Shadrach Ankrah<strong></strong></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><strong>Region of residence: Africa (AF)</strong><strong><span style="font-weight:normal"></span></strong></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><strong>Gender: Male</strong></p>
<p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><strong>Employment: IT Support
Specialist; </strong>Founder & Executive Director – Connect Rurals</p>
<p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><b>Conflict of interest:</b> None</p>
<p style="margin:0cm;line-height:115%;font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"><b> </b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">II. Why I Want to Serve on the EC</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I'm
passionate about contributing to the NCUC's mission and fostering a strong
regional voice in ICANN policy discussions. The opportunity to collaborate with
dedicated individuals to shape Internet governance excites me. My journey
within the global Internet community began in 2018 as an ISOC Youth@IGF fellow,
where I gained an in-depth understanding of the Internet ecosystem. This
fellowship has been the foundation of my active participation and contribution
to the Internet.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">My
goal has always been to represent and assist youth and underserved communities
in gaining digital skills and access to the Internet, thereby transforming
their lives. With this passion and desire, I have participated in many
youth-led initiatives and communities, including the Youth Observatory (ISOC’s
Youth Standing Group), Digital Grassroots, the Ghana Youth IGF steering
committee, West Africa and Africa, and the global IGFs. I have contributed
to these communities in various capacities, serving as a trainer, mentor, and
technical support person, ensuring the successful completion of initiatives and
integration of youth into those communities.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Often,
rural and underserved communities are not included in opportunities
related to digital transformation. For example, in my country, Ghana, many
opportunities such as access to broadband, STEM training, and ICT tools and
equipment mainly benefit those in urban areas, leaving those in rural areas
behind. I have been focusing on addressing this issue for years, and it has led
me to run a nonprofit initiative called Connect Rurals, where we focus on
providing these skills and connecting rural communities to the opportunities
the Internet offers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;margin:0cm 0cm 8pt;line-height:107%;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">This
was the reason for joining the NCUC, and I am confident that I can effectively
represent the voices of rural and underserved communities in ICANN.</span><span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:107%;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31)"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">III. Relevant Experience and Qualifications</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">I am an IT Support Specialist,
which has allowed me to contribute to technical initiatives within the
community. For instance, in 2022, I was part of a team of trainers who provided
Disaster Preparedness Training (IDPT) to local NGOs, national and regional
disaster management organizations, Internet Society Ghana chapter members, telecommunications staff, and young professionals. This training aimed
to enable local communities to become more efficient and effective in restoring
power and Internet connectivity and enhancing information sharing during a
disaster or an emergency.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">As a 2019 Hackathon@AIS fellow,
I gained an understanding of Internet measurement where I participated in DNS
over TLS (DoT) and DNS over HTTPS (DoH) setups and measured the performance of
caching resolvers against locally set up DoT and DoH servers against publicly
available DNS resolvers.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">In addition, I have an
understanding of policy development processes. As an AFRINIC-31 participant, I
have been involved in policy discussions on the RDP mailing list and during the
AFRINIC-31 Policy Meeting in Luanda, Angola. Furthermore, I have had the
opportunity to participate in and learn about the policy development processes
within ICANN by attending meetings. As the EC representative for Africa in
NCUC, I plan to participate more actively in PDP and contribute to policies
that shape the end-user and civil society perspectives.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif">Aside from these, I have
actively participated and volunteered within the ICANN community. During the
ICANN77 Policy Meeting in Washington D.C, I volunteered as a booth engager and
also assisted in writing the ICANN77 fellows report. I also did the same during
the Africa Engagement Forum held in July 2023 in Accra. With my active
engagement within the At-Large Social Media group, I have won two (2) social
media awards, one at each of these meetings.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">IV. Time Commitment</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">With my years of engagement and volunteering
experience, I know the time commitment needed to serve in such a community.
While, I am not mentioning, specific hours of time commitment, I am available
to attend the EC meetings and other meetings within ICANN both in-person and remotely.
In this regard, the time commitment to attend EC meetings can be within 10 hours a
week. This is because I have engaged in other communities that regard weekly
and regular meetings with individuals from different backgrounds and time zones.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">V. Communication with Membership</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;text-align:justify;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">I am open to and welcome discussions from all
members. I will keep NCUC members informed, if necessary, and work with the
other EC members and the chair to provide email updates with clear summaries of
EC discussions and decisions. I will also be open and engage with community
members during ICANN and other Internet-related events. Additionally, I am open
to exploring other communication methods based on members’ feedback.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">VI. NCUC's Future and ICANN Policy Focus</span></b><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31)"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin:0cm;line-height:21pt;font-size:11pt;font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"Times New Roman",serif;color:rgb(31,31,31);border:1pt none windowtext;padding:0cm">NCUC can play a crucial role in promoting regional Internet
governance capacity building. I envision expanding outreach programs to educate
and empower stakeholders across the region, especially those in
underserved communities. </span></p><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><br></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000">Kind regards,</font></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000"><br></font></div><div dir="ltr"><font color="#000000" size="4"><b>Shadrach Ankrah</b></font></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000"><b><br></b></font></div><div style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000"><b>Founder and Director, <a href="https://connectrurals.org/" target="_blank">Connect Rurals</a></b></font></div><div style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000"><b>Lead Facilitator,</b> Internet For Education SIG</font></div><div style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000">E: <a href="mailto:shadrach@connectrurals.org" target="_blank">shadrach@connectrurals.org</a> | me@sankrah.tech </font></div><div style="font-size:small"><font color="#000000">Tel: +233 27 746 8886 | +233 54 895 5758</font></div><div style="font-size:small">Prang, Bono East - Ghana</div><div dir="ltr">Social Media: <span style="color:rgb(61,133,198);font-size:small"><a href="https://twitter.com/ankrah960" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <a href="https://web.facebook.com/ankrah960/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ankrah960/" style="color:rgb(17,85,204)" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></span><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>