In an electrifying event in Nairobi, Base hosted builders from across Africa to discuss the future of the on-chain economy, share local success stories, and announce winners of the Based Africa Buildathon.
The event celebrated Africa’s growing role in blockchain and Web3 technologies, and it fostered meaningful connections among developers, entrepreneurs, and blockchain enthusiasts.
With over 750 builders signing up in recent weeks and 280 projects submitted, Africa has established itself as a dynamic force in Web3 innovation. Local developers demonstrated high engagement and creativity, contributing to over 6 million transactions daily and moving billions into the Base economy, underscoring the region’s rising prominence in the global blockchain landscape.
CALL FOR APPLICATIONS [DEADLINE: OCTOBER 10 2024] | Base Hackathon Applications Now Open to All Africans with a Prize Pool of 25 $ETH
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Builders are instructed to either build an onchain app that solves a challenge in their… pic.twitter.com/nlv6A1R9gN
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Speakers at the event painted a compelling picture of an internet where creators and users have control over their digital assets, unlike the current model dominated by major corporations. By leveraging decentralized networks, Web3 technology promises to enhance personal agency, enabling content creators to retain ownership and enjoy a more significant share of their profits.
According to core Base blockchain developer lead, Jesse Pollak, the introduction of local stablecoins like the Kenyan Shilling and Nigerian Naira will make digital transactions more accessible, affordable, and secure, allowing users to transact in local currencies seamlessly.
African developers presented tools that simplify user interaction with blockchain, such as ‘smart wallets’ and on-chain kits that help bridge the gap between traditional and on-chain transactions.
Digital literacy remains low, particularly among older demographics. To address this, Base has engaged agents who help users navigate digital payments, allowing them to interact with the on-chain economy even without high technical knowledge. This approach highlights the need for digital literacy initiatives as a key component of expanding blockchain’s reach.
A key highlight of the event was the announcement of the Based Africa Buildathon winners.
The winners were:
- Base Sessions, for bringing music and emerging artists in Africa onchain devfolio.co/projects/base-
- BasePay, for connecting African communities to the global economy to create more economic opportunities basepay.link
- The Unbound Project, for helping bring businesses onchain in Africa devfolio.co/projects/the-u
- AzzaDeFi, for making it easy for anyone in Africa to use WhatsApp to start using Base api.whatsapp.com/message/FXAAHA
- RideBase, for enabling decentralized ride sharing in Africa devfolio.co/projects/rideb
- FlexClub, to let people save towards common goals flexclub.xyz
- AfroBase, for creating awareness of Base and the onchain economy through cultural elements like traditional Yoruba dance devfolio.co/projects/afrob
- LendBit, for expanding access to financial services lendbit.finance
- Delar, for bringing land registries onchain devfolio.co/projects/delar
- Kombat, for enabling betting and prediction markets onchain devfolio.co/projects/komba
- Yield, for revolutionizing agriculture through onchain technologies and tokenization devfolio.co/projects/yield
- LearnOnchain, for enabling communities to learn and build onchain solutions devfolio.co/projects/base-
- Legitify, for bringing certificates and credentials onchain legitify-jade.vercel.app
- AntuGrow, for letting farmers access stablecoin microcredits and supporting best practices in farm management antugrow.com
- Health Trove, for making health record management more efficient onchain health-trove.vercel.app
- BaseEastAfrica, for bringing East Africa onchain devfolio.co/projects/basee
- Maisha Care, for bringing vital health data and information onchain to improve patient outcomes devfolio.co/projects/maish
- MQR Pay, for blending onchain and AI, enabling Base ETH purchases directly from M-Pesa devfolio.co/projects/sakax
- PayFlip, for enabling an easy bridge between local currencies and stablecoins pay-flip-six.vercel.app
- Base Tours, for connecting Zambia’s heritage with a learning opportunity about onchain impact devfolio.co/projects/base-
- Data Bud, for making onchain data more accessible devfolio.co/projects/data-
- LearNova, for letting people learn and earn onchain learnova.on-fleek.app
- Element Pay, for enabling easy crypto-to-fiat micropayments element-sooty.vercel.app
As 2025 approaches, Base plans to expand its support for local stablecoins and developer tools to fuel innovation and lower barriers to entry for new builders.
By fostering an open, decentralized ecosystem, Base envisions a future where on-chain technology creates economic opportunities and promotes financial inclusion across Africa.
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