joenakamoto on Nostr: Thoughts dashed on a plane about Afro Bitcoin Org 2024, Kenya š°šŖ Another belter ...
Thoughts dashed on a plane about Afro Bitcoin Org 2024, Kenya š°šŖ
Another belter of a conference from @AfroBitcoinOrg ā it just gets better every year.
To expand on @jackās point: the talks in the hall are great, but the magic?
It happens in the corridors, on the dance floors, and (in Kenya) out on safari! š š¦
Amazing to see @Machankura8333 gaining serious traction, @bitsacco making waves, and @Bitnob_official pushing Bitcoin deeper across the continent.
For me, the MVP was @tando_me.
Such a slick, low-key Bitcoin app. I used it way too much!
With Tando, you could literally move to Kenya tomorrow and live on Bitcoin completely (maybe you should)āand with relative ease.
Meanwhile, circular economies and pilot projects, especially those driven by @btc_dada, have totally taken off.
Congrats to @marcelorraine for winning Most Impactful Bitcoiner in Africa! She and her team are inspiring a generation of women to take financial literacy seriouslyāall while getting the men to up their game!
I didnāt get to visit @BtcBabiesā circular economy this time (guess Iāll have to come backāwhat a shame š), but a few hours in Kibera (@AfribitKibera) was eye-opening.
Hereās why:
Kenyaās mobile money king, Mpesa, requires KYC. That leaves many Kenyansāespecially those without documentationāunable to use it.
Why is there KYC?
Yes you're right it's the government.
The government pushed Safaricom to enforce KYC around 2010 and yes you're right the govt holds a stake in the company š
But hereās the good news: Bitcoin doesnāt care about your ID or paperwork. In places like Kibera, Bitcoin is stepping in where Mpesa canāt.
I've seen this in townships in South Africa, shanty towns in Peru and on the dusty streets of Senegal, but it's hard to think of a better place to promote Bitcoin as a financial solution than in one of Africaās largest slums.
Another standout this year was Bitcoin mining.
@gridless has already hit legend status in Africa, but mining projects are springing up everywhere.
Zambia is ramping up operations in rural locations (@QuantumHashCo) while Ethiopia has grabbed a surprising chunk of the global hash rate. Follow @GAMA_alliance āļø
Oh, and most if not all of these projects are renewable-powered. Read that again, Green Peace.
Finally, thereās something so refreshing about being surrounded by people who use Bitcoin as money.
Bitcoin flows freely across Africaāno āIām HODLING this to my graveā vibes. Well, except for that one guy (iykyk).
Even better: not a single price discussion. Everyone was too busy using Bitcoin, tinkering with Bitcoin, or just having a good time.
I always learn so much in Africaāwhether itās Eritrean history, how to smuggle miners across borders or improving Bitcoin privacy with Jenga.
It inspires me to do a bit more and get bitcoin into the hards of more and more people.
Huge kudos to @Farida_N, @GloireKW, @princeakpah, and your team for putting together such a magical event.
This was my 9th African country in 20 yearsāI canāt wait to see where AfroBitcoin heads next!
Merry Christmas and hereās to the next one āļøš
Another belter of a conference from @AfroBitcoinOrg ā it just gets better every year.
To expand on @jackās point: the talks in the hall are great, but the magic?
It happens in the corridors, on the dance floors, and (in Kenya) out on safari! š š¦
Amazing to see @Machankura8333 gaining serious traction, @bitsacco making waves, and @Bitnob_official pushing Bitcoin deeper across the continent.
For me, the MVP was @tando_me.
Such a slick, low-key Bitcoin app. I used it way too much!
With Tando, you could literally move to Kenya tomorrow and live on Bitcoin completely (maybe you should)āand with relative ease.
Meanwhile, circular economies and pilot projects, especially those driven by @btc_dada, have totally taken off.
Congrats to @marcelorraine for winning Most Impactful Bitcoiner in Africa! She and her team are inspiring a generation of women to take financial literacy seriouslyāall while getting the men to up their game!
I didnāt get to visit @BtcBabiesā circular economy this time (guess Iāll have to come backāwhat a shame š), but a few hours in Kibera (@AfribitKibera) was eye-opening.
Hereās why:
Kenyaās mobile money king, Mpesa, requires KYC. That leaves many Kenyansāespecially those without documentationāunable to use it.
Why is there KYC?
Yes you're right it's the government.
The government pushed Safaricom to enforce KYC around 2010 and yes you're right the govt holds a stake in the company š
But hereās the good news: Bitcoin doesnāt care about your ID or paperwork. In places like Kibera, Bitcoin is stepping in where Mpesa canāt.
I've seen this in townships in South Africa, shanty towns in Peru and on the dusty streets of Senegal, but it's hard to think of a better place to promote Bitcoin as a financial solution than in one of Africaās largest slums.
Another standout this year was Bitcoin mining.
@gridless has already hit legend status in Africa, but mining projects are springing up everywhere.
Zambia is ramping up operations in rural locations (@QuantumHashCo) while Ethiopia has grabbed a surprising chunk of the global hash rate. Follow @GAMA_alliance āļø
Oh, and most if not all of these projects are renewable-powered. Read that again, Green Peace.
Finally, thereās something so refreshing about being surrounded by people who use Bitcoin as money.
Bitcoin flows freely across Africaāno āIām HODLING this to my graveā vibes. Well, except for that one guy (iykyk).
Even better: not a single price discussion. Everyone was too busy using Bitcoin, tinkering with Bitcoin, or just having a good time.
I always learn so much in Africaāwhether itās Eritrean history, how to smuggle miners across borders or improving Bitcoin privacy with Jenga.
It inspires me to do a bit more and get bitcoin into the hards of more and more people.
Huge kudos to @Farida_N, @GloireKW, @princeakpah, and your team for putting together such a magical event.
This was my 9th African country in 20 yearsāI canāt wait to see where AfroBitcoin heads next!
Merry Christmas and hereās to the next one āļøš