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PDP Co-Chair Selection 2026

PDP Co-Chair selection, 18 November 2026

One of the two PDP Co-Chair positions will be filled at the next AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting, where the Policy Development Working Group selects a Co-chair by consensus. Candidate registration opens on 1 October 2026 and closes on 29 October 2026. Section 6.3 of the Election Guidelines sets out how the selection runs and who may stand.

Section 6.3 of the Election Guidelines 2026 sets out how the selection runs and the eligibility criteria.

Key dates

  • Candidate registration opens

    The call for nominations is published to the community.

  • Candidate registration closes

    Closes 23:59 UTC

  • Candidate list published

    14:00 UTC

  • Selection at the Public Policy Meeting

    The Policy Development Working Group selects the Co-Chair by consensus.

Read the Election Guidelines

The June 2026 Selection

The Policy Development Process (PDP) Co-Chairs are selected by consensus of the Policy Development Working Group (PDWG) during the AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting, rather than by ballot.

1 candidate was found eligible for this selection.

Selected candidate

Haitham El-Nakhal was selected via consensus as the new PDP Co-Chair.

Elected — PDP Co-Chair Selection 2026
Name Country Title Organisation Term of office
Haitham El-Nakhal Egypt Senior Expert National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) 2 years

Candidates

Candidates found eligible — PDP Co-Chair Selection 2026
Name Country Title Organisation
Haitham El-Nakhal Egypt Senior Expert National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA)

Note

The Policy Development Working Group is led by two Co-Chairs. In the 2026 round only one candidate was found eligible to stand for appointment, and he was accordingly selected without a contest. The second Co-Chair position continues to be held by the incumbent, whose term runs until the next AFRINIC Public Policy Meeting on 18 November 2026, when a selection will be held for that one position.

Candidate statements

Each candidate's background and what they said they would do in the role.

Haitham El-NakhalEgypt · National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA)

Haitham El-Nakhal is a distinguished senior telecommunications expert, Internet governance leader, and systems engineer with over 20 years of professional experience driving digital infrastructure development, Internet resources policy, and open networking initiatives in Egypt and the wider African region. He is widely recognized for his leadership in national Internet exchange points, IPv6 transitions, and regulatory framework design.

Currently, Mr. El-Nakhal serves as a Senior Expert in Internet Resources at the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (NTRA) of Egypt. In this capacity, he is responsible for administrating Egypt's AFRINIC account, supporting the operational management of the national Internet Exchange Point (IXP), and transferring specialized technical knowledge — including IPv6 implementation, IXPs, and Internet Governance Forums (IGF) — to NTRA staff. Prior to his current role, he served for over 14 years (2006–2020) as the Senior Manager of Internet Policies and Technical Affairs at NTRA, where he successfully spearheaded numerous high-profile national committees, including the Egyptian IPv6 Taskforce as its Technical Team Leader and the Cairo Internet Exchange Point (CAIX) as its operator and manager.

Education & credentials

  • Executive MBA — Nile University, Egypt (2009–2012)
  • Diploma in Information Technology — ITI (1998–1999)
  • Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering — Cairo University
  • Certification: Provision IPv6 Configuration

Internet governance & leadership

  • Elected Board Member of AFRINIC (2013–2018) and Vice-Chair of the Board (2015–2018).
  • Chair of the Finance Committee at the AFRINIC Board, overseeing organizational finance.
  • Technical Team Leader of the Egyptian IPv6 Taskforce and operator of CAIX.
  • Focal Interconnection Regulatory Engineer for the EU-NTRA Twinning Interconnection committee.

Objectives for the role

  • Facilitate open, transparent, and consensus-driven policy discussions within the AFRINIC community.
  • Streamline the Policy Development Process (PDP) to ensure policies are clear, practical, and representative of the region's diverse needs.
  • Support capacity building and mentorship for new community members to encourage broader and more active participation in policy-making.