Developing an African Continental Position on Blockchain

Africa, the youngest continent in the world, is proving to be one of the most progressive when it comes to blockchain and other emerging technologies. However, for adoption to be truly impactful, collaboration will be necessary.

Speaking during the African Blockchain Conference, Hon. Frank Tumwebaze, the Minister of ICT, Uganda, encouraged the blockchain community across East Africa to come together if the continent is to realize the potential value of blockchain.

He said:

“We need to bring everybody on board, starting with the policy makers. [..] We have endorsed this technology. We need to make sure regulators, cabinet, and policy makers understand this. [..] We will link up with the Northern Corridor initiatives so we can develop continental positions in advancing for this technology.”

While adoption is slow, some emerging initiatives are pushing for continental standards in the digital space that will also allow African countries to adopt these emerging technologies without stalling innovation.

Genesis Block Africa and ADAF are classic examples of how the African continent needs to look into standardizing these technologies to enable cross-border partnerships and collaborations across Africa that will see the continent benefit from all these emerging technologies.

The Genesis Block Africa initiative seeks to bring together blockchain projects across the continent in order to realize cross-border investments and support that will see more collaborative efforts happening across the continent.