Up to now two months, I’ve attended the Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town convention in South Africa and the African Bitcoin Conference in Kenya. I’ve additionally visited Bitcoin round economies in each of those international locations together with Bitcoin Ekasi, Afribit Kibera and Bitcoin Witsand.
These experiences have opened my eyes to the truth that builders, neighborhood leaders and on a regular basis plebs throughout Africa are harnessing the facility of Bitcoin to catalyze change of their lives, they usually’re doing so whereas carrying on the spirit of the early cypherpunks.
An African Bitcoiner’s Manifesto
In “A Cypherpunk’s Manifesto,” Eric Hughes wrote:
“Cypherpunks write code. We all know that somebody has to write down software program to defend privateness, and since we will not get privateness except all of us do, we’ll write it. We publish our code in order that our fellow Cypherpunks might follow and play with it. Our code is free for all to make use of, worldwide. We do not a lot care when you do not approve of the software program we write. We all know that software program cannot be destroyed and {that a} broadly dispersed system cannot be shut down.”
It’s with this perspective that the builders in Africa are constructing. And whereas not all the builders on the continent are writing code, they’re all doing as a lot of their work as doable with out asking permission.
So, based mostly on what I noticed in Africa throughout my current two journeys to the continent in addition to to my journey to Ghana in late 2023, throughout which I attended the African Bitcoin Convention and visited Bitcoin Dua, I’d picture an African Bitcoiner’s model of Hughes’ manifesto may learn one thing like this:
“African Bitcoiners simply construct issues with Bitcoin. We all know that anyone has to step as much as enact change, as a result of all the guarantees from the NGOs and governments have fallen quick. We publish our proof of labor on-line in order that fellow African Bitcoiners can use it as a mannequin and adapt it to their very own distinctive context. Our proof of labor and/or code is free to copy throughout Africa, and past its borders. We aren’t on the lookout for approval from authorities; nevertheless, we aren’t against working with them in the event that they see the worth in our initiatives and visions. We all know that our work harnesses the immutable and uncensorable nature of Bitcoin in addition to the indefatigable nature of the human spirit and, due to this fact, can’t be stopped or shut down.”
The next are some examples of initiatives that embody such a spirit:
Bitcoin Ekasi
Bitcoin Ekasi is likely one of the most shining manifestations of the cypherpunk and Bitcoin ethos in Africa. The challenge, initiated in 2021 and based mostly in Mossel Bay, South Africa, has turn out to be a mannequin for Bitcoin circular economies throughout Africa.
The challenge, based by Hermann Vivier (additionally one of many organizers for Adopting Bitcoin Cape City) aimed to do two issues: increase funds in bitcoin for The Surfer Kids non-profit, which Vivier additionally based, and onboard retailers in the neighborhood to Bitcoin. (Venture Neighborhood Chief Luthando Ndabambi has performed the latter masterfully over time.)
The aim of the second dimension of the mission was to allow neighborhood members to spend their bitcoin inside the neighborhood, ideally elevating the financial standing of the neighborhood as a complete within the course of.
The challenge now works with the native public major faculty, which not too long ago started accepting bitcoin for college charges, and has revamped the neighborhood facilities for each Bitcoin Ekasi and The Surfer Youngsters (partly due to beneficiant donations from Jack Dorsey and fundraising efforts by Aubrey Strobel.)
Unveiling the brand new signal on the primary entrance of the native township major faculty!https://t.co/ttBcG7X2nE pic.twitter.com/f6R2ryGC0P
— Bitcoin Ekasi (@BitcoinEkasi) January 17, 2025
Some politicians within the nation, a number of of whom spoke at Adopting Bitcoin Cape City this 12 months, have taken discover of the challenge and are because of this beginning to see the worth of Bitcoin.
Tando
Tando is an app constructed by a workforce based mostly in Kenya that lets Bitcoin Lightning wallets interface with Kenya’s cellular cash system M-PESA.
The app, which doesn’t require KYC and is very intuitive, is likely one of the best instruments for monetary inclusion within the nation, as those that lack the right ID-papers are excluded from making funds by way of M-PESA. Utilizing Tando, they will make the cost by way of their Lightning pockets and transact digitally with their fellow Kenyans.
Tando can also be an amazing choice for Bitcoiners who go to Kenya. I used it a number of occasions throughout my keep in Kenya to pay Kenyan shilling-denominated tabs digitally.
Study extra in regards to the app here.
Bitcoin Dua
Based in 2023, Bitcoin Dua is situated in Agbozume, Ghana, which is close to the nation’s border with Togo. It’s rapidly established itself as one of many fastest-growing Bitcoin round economies in Africa.
Not solely does the challenge assist to coach Ghanaians about Bitcoin, nevertheless it additionally supplies coding and robotics lessons to assist its neighborhood members develop abilities that may assist them discover employment that pays in bitcoin.
Lego Robotic for preparation in the direction of the 2025 #robotics competitors in Ghana. We’re in a position to enhance on our gear acquisition via the #AfricaBitcoinCircularEconomyGrant. Because of @Bitcoinbeach and @BitcoinEkasi pic.twitter.com/S6NIQmYqdL
— Bitcoin Dua (@bitcoin_dua) December 29, 2024
The challenge’s founder, Mawufemor Kofi Folivi and his workforce had been awarded the Social Impact award at this 12 months’s African Bitcoin Convention, and Jack Dorsey has dedicated funding to assist construct a sports activities complicated in the neighborhood.
The workforce at Bitcoin Dua can’t cease and gained’t cease.
Machankura
Based in Might 2022 by Kgothatso Ngako (KG) (additionally one of many organizers for Adopting Bitcoin Cape City), Machankura permits Africans to make use of bitcoin over Lightning with function telephones (i.e., cell telephones earlier than sensible telephones).
The know-how permits customers to ship bitcoin over USSD, the equal of SMS in Africa, giving among the two-thirds of the population of Africa that doesn’t have access to the internet entry to bitcoin.
KG can also be presently engaged on know-how that can retailer the personal keys to bitcoin on chips embedded in function telephones, basically enabling these telephones within the six African international locations by which the service is on the market to double as bitcoin hardware wallets.
CYPHERPUNK AF.
Afribit Kibera
Afribit Kibera, situated in Kenya, is a Bitcoin round financial system situated within the largest informal settlement in Africa.
The challenge’s co-founder, Ronnie Mdawida, is a long-time human rights advocate and neighborhood organizer, and he’s now utilizing Bitcoin as a software to assist additional carry the unbanked and the underbanked into the financial system.
Mdawida and his workforce have onboarded 40 retailers to Bitcoin to this point and have arrange a recycling program that rewards members with sats for his or her work.
Meet our first-ever service provider in 2025—the journey continues! Quickly, the complete Kibera will flip orange!@BitcoinEkasi @FBCEglobal @Bitcoinbeach @blinkbtc @geyserfund @thecore21m pic.twitter.com/rWhEzONN4v
— AFRIBIT KIBERA (@AfribitKibera) January 15, 2025
Whereas lots of the retailers and neighborhood members of Afribit Kibera had been launched to bitcoin primarily as a medium of trade, many have began saving in it, feeling extra hopeful about their future because of this.
Continuing Collectively Apace
Whereas every of the initiatives talked about above are unbelievable in their very own proper, what makes the Bitcoin story in Africa actually particular is that the members of all these initiatives proceed to be taught from and construct with each other.
That is the fantastic thing about not solely open-source software program but in addition conferences like Adopting Bitcoin Cape City and the African Bitcoin Convention the place builders throughout the continent share their successes and challenges in addition to supply assist for one another.
For those who’ve but to attend certainly one of these conferences, I extremely advocate you accomplish that, particularly when you’d prefer to really feel firsthand the spirit of the cypherpunks or those that embody the Bitcoin ethos.
African Bitcoiners aren’t ready for permission to alter each their lives and the lives of these round them. Bitcoin offers them the chance to construct a brighter future — collectively.