NYNJA Attends Africa’s First Ever Blockchain Conference
By Patrick van Rensburg | Kampala, Uganda | May 23–24, 2018
NYNJA attended the first ever Africa Blockchain Conference in Kampala, Uganda last week. The conference was exceptionally well organized with 700 participants from 22 different nations around the world attending.
Among these were 200 University students from Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The young attendees’ excitement was so contagious that it infected all those attending. Conversations of blockchain and the changes it will bring to Africa filled the halls and it was hard not to smile at the level of enthusiasm.
Why all of the excitement?
Africa is excited about blockchain because it’s a chance for the youth to level the playing field and get “plugged in” and “up to speed” with the rest of the world. But the surprising thing was the number of local attendants in their fifties with great interest and knowledge on blockchain technology.
Internet uptake isn’t nearly high enough yet, but there isn’t a lack of fiber installations and ever-expanding access to affordable internet in the region. It’s getting cheaper and it’s growing wider and faster than you might think.
The two-day conference was packed with a great selection of keynote speakers such as:
H.E. Yoweri Kaguta Museveni — President of Uganda
H.E. Ameenah Gurib-Fakim — 6th President of Mauritius
Llew Claasen — Executive Director of the Bitcoin Foundation
Euvin Naidoo — Head of Financial Institutions, Thompsons Reuters
Alexia Hefti — Blockchain Tax Lead Deloitte Canada
Dr. Bitange Ndemo — Chairman of the Kenyan Blockchain Taskforce
Chanpeng Zhao (CZ) — Founder and CEO of Binance
And many more
Each speaker was met with cheers and loud verbal agreements from the crowd. Especially when His Excellency the President of Uganda wholeheartedly endorsed both blockchain and cryptocurrency use and growth in Uganda.
Blockchain can help remedy many issues Africans face today and in the future, and of the great topics discussed at the conference the most prevalent were:
- poverty
- population growth
- unemployment
- education
- connectivity
- healthcare (particularly expelling counterfeit drugs in Africa)
NYNJA’s pitch of a blockchain-enabled communications and commerce platform received enthusiastic responses such as “why hasn’t anyone done this yet?” or “this is exactly what we need going forward in East Africa!” and “I can’t wait for the launch, when are you in Uganda again?”
Africa is accepting blockchain technology better than anyone could have expected. The dignitaries and bankers are open-minded and eager to collaborate and grow. Local communities are picking up buzzwords like UI and ICO. The proverbial African drums are beating and the word is spreading.
