Is this the fourth revolution?
Exploring blockchain innovation in South Africa and why it matters to the African economy.
Written by Megan Doyle.
“ Africa, our time has come.”
Summary
On the 13th of September 2018, Linum Labs assisted in hosting and organizing a Blockchain Workshop as part of The SA Innovation Summit at Greenpoint Stadium in Cape Town.
The annual SA Innovation Summit is a leader in the South African technology space, that aims to nurture, develop and showcase African innovation in order to facilitate thought-leadership on the continent.
This article will provide an overview of the entire Blockchain Stream, the outcome of the event and highlight the key players involved, which included over 1200 corporates, thought-leaders, inventors, entrepreneurs, academia and policy-makers.
Outline and purpose
The Blockchain Stream ran for half a day, focusing on topics of relevance to all 6 streams at The SA Innovation Summit: Fintech, Edutech, Big Data and Space, Cities of the Future, Agritech, and Biotech.
Catering to all levels of experience, from beginners to experts, we aimed to highlight some of Africa’s most innovative thinkers and blockchain use-cases.
One of the greatest drivers in establishing this event was for us to create an open platform for individuals to further their personal development and understand the integral role that blockchain can play in developing Africa.
The Blockchain Stream
Emerging technologies, such as blockchain, showcase some of the technical innovations which represent progressive developments across a variety of industries. Along with the emergence of such technologies, comes very real challenges, namely accessibility to knowledge resources and awareness.
During the Blockchain Stream, we aimed to address some of these challenges and how blockchain technology may help us overcome them.
The outline of the half-day Blockchain Stream was as follows.
Introduction to Blockchain
Oz Razak, Enterprise Director at Linum Labs, presented a one-hour crash course on an introduction to blockchain.
You can find his presentation here.
Key Quote: ‘Blockchain is here. It is not like other technologies because you can’t see it like drones or VR. The beauty behind this emerging technology is in trust and transparency’.
Is this the Fourth Revolution Panel Discussion
A panel discussion, focusing on the 6 streams of The SA Innovation Summit ( Big Data and Space, Cities of the Future, FinTech, EduTech, BioTech, AgriTech) and how each stream is currently influencing the fourth revolution. Industry experts from each stream presented.
- Biotech: Sarah Maclean, MSc Student from the University of Cape Town.
- Fintech: Justin McCarthy, Chief Executive from Project Ubu.
- Big Data: Khutso Ngoasheng, Manager: Science Processing at the South African Radio Astronomy Observatory(SARAO).
- Cities of The Future: Jason Griessel, Head of Business Development at Blockmesh.
- Agritech: Shalom Ben-Or, CEO of Avenews- GT.
- Edutech: Ryan Jacobson, CFO of Registree.
- Moderator: Nasreen Saunders, Founder, and CEO of Umphakathi weAfrika.
Key Quote: ‘Blockchain is a complex technology but it is still in its infancy. We need to care about the technology behind blockchain, not blockchain as a magical solution to fix everything’. Shalom Ben-Or ,CEO of Avenews-GT.
Key Quote: ‘When talking about blockchain technology, knowledge is power. Let us go and educate ourselves.’ — Justin McCarthy from Project Ubu.
Key Quote: ‘We need creative solutions to get members of African communities to compete and collaborate in industries of emerging technology.’ — Khutso Ngoasheng from SKA Africa
Cities of the Future
Lohan Spies, Director of Trustlab, presented on how cities are changing from the advancements of technology and how blockchain is facilitating this change.
You can find his presentation here.
Key Quote: ‘Within 10 years we are going to see a completely different future. With implementations of blockchain technology, we can make breakthroughs in sustainability’.
The Future of Fintech
Ross McEwan, Chief Technology Officer of Wala, presented on what blockchain technology offers the Fintech world.
You can find his presentation here.
Key Quote: ‘Identity is one of the greatest barriers to financial inclusion. Attributes of blockchain technology will impact, not only the future of fintech but the entire future of technology’.
The South African Blockchain Ecosystem
Karren Zenzo, Community Manager at Linum Labs and Carla Van Jaarsveld, Operations Manager at Linum Labs, provided an overview of the blockchain ecosystem in South Africa, detailing the current landscape of startups and projects.
Key Quote: ‘We aim to empower individuals with the necessary blockchain skills and tools to further personal development amongst communities across Africa’. — Karren Zenzo.
Take a look at the current South African Blockchain Ecosystem.
Blockchain in Enterprises
Francois Marais, Senior Solution Consulting Manager at Oracle, presented on how enterprises are being affected by blockchain, what it could mean for their future and how best to harness the power of the emerging technology moving forward.
You can find his presentation here.
Key Quote: ‘Blockchain is an efficiency layer that we can use to unlock real value in Africa. In the enterprise environment, we are already seeing how blockchain technology is being integrated to change the way we do things more efficiently’.
Building our community
At Linum Labs, our commitment to education and growing the global blockchain community is a crucial aspect in providing a powerful platform to bring together thought leaders and accelerate innovation in South Africa and the African continent as a whole.
Knowledge is essential for improving both an individual’s ability and technological advancements in society, including economic, social and personal development. It is our mission to create a sustainable community that is capable of creating a positive impact because they have access to relevant information and knowledge.
We believe that in working together with our community, we can reach this goal of empowering the African blockchain ecosystem.
