Previously 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 nations together with Bitcoin Ekasi, Afribit Kibera and Bitcoin Witsand.
These experiences have opened my eyes to the truth that builders, group leaders and on a regular basis plebs throughout Africa are harnessing the facility of Bitcoin to catalyze change of their lives, and so they’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 won’t get privateness until all of us do, we’ll write it. We publish our code in order that our fellow Cypherpunks could apply and play with it. Our code is free for all to make use of, worldwide. We do not a lot care in the event 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 angle 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 attainable with out asking permission.
So, based mostly on what I noticed in Africa throughout my latest 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 would possibly 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 brief. 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 duplicate throughout Africa, and past its borders. We aren’t searching for approval from authorities; nonetheless, we aren’t against working with them in the event that they see the worth in our tasks 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 tasks that embody such a spirit:
Bitcoin Ekasi
Bitcoin Ekasi is without doubt one of the most shining manifestations of the cypherpunk and Bitcoin ethos in Africa. The venture, initiated in 2021 and based mostly in Mossel Bay, South Africa, has turn into a mannequin for Bitcoin circular economies throughout Africa.
The venture, 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 locally to Bitcoin. (Mission Neighborhood Chief Luthando Ndabambi has executed the latter masterfully through the years.)
The aim of the second dimension of the mission was to allow group members to spend their bitcoin throughout the group, ideally elevating the financial standing of the group as an entire within the course of.
The venture now works with the native public main faculty, which not too long ago started accepting bitcoin for varsity charges, and has revamped the group facilities for each Bitcoin Ekasi and The Surfer Children (partially because of beneficiant donations from Jack Dorsey and fundraising efforts by Aubrey Strobel.)
Unveiling the brand new signal on the primary entrance of the native township main 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 yr, have taken discover of the venture and are consequently beginning to see the worth of Bitcoin.
Tando
Tando is an app constructed by a staff 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 without doubt one of the best instruments for monetary inclusion within the nation, as those that lack the right ID-papers are excluded from making funds through M-PESA. Utilizing Tando, they will make the cost through their Lightning pockets and transact digitally with their fellow Kenyans.
Tando can also be a terrific possibility 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 positioned 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 venture assist to coach Ghanaians about Bitcoin, however it additionally gives coding and robotics lessons to assist its group members develop abilities that may assist them discover employment that pays in bitcoin.
Lego Robotic for preparation in direction of the 2025 #robotics competitors in Ghana. We’re capable of 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 venture’s founder, Mawufemor Kofi Folivi and his staff have been awarded the Social Impact award at this yr’s African Bitcoin Convention, and Jack Dorsey has dedicated funding to assist construct a sports activities complicated locally.
The staff 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 good telephones).
The expertise 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 expertise that may retailer the non-public keys to bitcoin on chips embedded in function telephones, basically enabling these telephones within the six African nations during which the service is obtainable to double as bitcoin hardware wallets.
CYPHERPUNK AF.
Afribit Kibera
Afribit Kibera, positioned in Kenya, is a Bitcoin round economic system positioned within the largest informal settlement in Africa.
The venture’s co-founder, Ronnie Mdawida, is a long-time human rights advocate and group organizer, and he’s now utilizing Bitcoin as a instrument to assist additional deliver the unbanked and the underbanked into the economic system.
Mdawida and his staff have onboarded 40 retailers to Bitcoin to date and have arrange a recycling program that rewards contributors with sats for his or her work.
Meet our first-ever service provider in 2025—the journey continues! Quickly, your complete Kibera will flip orange!@BitcoinEkasi @FBCEglobal @Bitcoinbeach @blinkbtc @geyserfund @thecore21m pic.twitter.com/rWhEzONN4v
— AFRIBIT KIBERA (@AfribitKibera) January 15, 2025
Whereas most of the retailers and group members of Afribit Kibera have been launched to bitcoin primarily as a medium of alternate, many have began saving in it, feeling extra hopeful about their future consequently.
Continuing Collectively Apace
Whereas every of the tasks talked about above are unimaginable in their very own proper, what makes the Bitcoin story in Africa actually particular is that the members of all these tasks proceed to be taught from and construct with each other.
That is the fantastic thing about not solely open-source software program but additionally 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 provide assist for one another.
In the event you’ve but to attend one among these conferences, I extremely suggest you accomplish that, particularly in the event 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 vary each their lives and the lives of these round them. Bitcoin provides them the chance to construct a brighter future — collectively.