Advancing blockchain in Africa with Tezos & Tether

Between 10th and 15th of March, blockchain took to the stage across multiple venues in Cape Town, South Africa, during the UABA TechCon 2024 Government edition conference.

The event, hosted by the United African Blockchain Association (UABA), was headlined and co-sponsored by Trilitech, a Tezos R&D and adoption hub, and Tether, issuer of popular stablecoin USDT.

Other guests from the Tezos side included Nomadic Labs on the protocol side, and external partners building on the ecosystem Magic.link and Zeeve.

With the goal of guiding participants through to actionable insights and realistic pilot projects to implement, the conference was attended by government officials from five African countries: South Africa, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Tanzania, and Zambia.

During one week, attendees took part in multiple educational activities, followed by a series of workshops where teams developed a proof-of-concept blockchain solution for problems specific to their countries.

This year’s edition was the first installment of the event in this closed format, and is set to continue in the upcoming years with different countries invited to attend.

A resounding success, UABA TechCon 2024 demonstrated the talent and appetite for blockchain technology solutions in the continent, and also opened the doors for collaboration between Tezos teams and government agencies in the near future.

UABA TechCon 2024 Government Edition #

The event was packed with activity, with the majority of the content delivered by teams from the Tezos ecosystem and Tether.

It was split into three days of educational sessions, and two days of “solution mode” workshops with each of the governments. This balanced format kept people engaged throughout the entire event.

Despite it being government delegates, the event was actually quite relaxed in nature, although all attendees did take the opportunity to leave the event with solutions to their problems very seriously.

Tezos and Africa #

The Trilitech team presented Tezos in tandem with the mechanics of blockchain during the educational part of the conference.

Despite this being the first blockchain-specific workshop for the participating government officials, delegates were very eager to learn, understand, and apply the knowledge. Tezos was very well received, with engaged questions about the technology and quite a few “aha moments” from the audience.

A key takeaway is that there seems to be a big willingness amongst the delegates to explore blockchain technology for its own merits. This means outside of the context of cryptocurrencies, as a solution to real problems facing their countries - and that Tezos is well-positioned to help.

Next steps #

At the end of the workshop stage, the Tezos team discussed each proof-of-concept idea and agreed to explore them further with each of the countries respective teams.

This exploration is expected to take place between April and May 2024, both online and onsite in each of the countries - with teams from Trilitech in active conversation with each government agency.

The enthusiasm and outcomes from this event is yet another demonstration of how important it is to raise awareness and promote the use of blockchain not just in Africa, but everywhere - and that no matter the team, protocol, or project: we’re all better off when we work together.

Tezos ecosystem builders also sees a great opportunity in the push to advance blockchain across the African continent.

Infrastructure provider Zeeve reinforces their commitment to empower transformation through blockchain:

Collaborating with Tezos ecosystem builders to support African governments in their adoption of blockchain is a testament to our commitment to fostering innovation, transparency, and efficiency on a global scale. We are proud to contribute to these pioneering efforts, paving the way for a future where blockchain solutions drive positive change and development across continents.

– Dr. Ravi Chamria, CEO at Zeeve

Magic, another builder on Tezos, also sees blockchain’s potential for positive change in the continent:

The fusion of blockchain technology with easy onboarding will represent a paradigm shift in Africa’s digital landscape. Through the integration between Magic and Tezos, we can unlock the potential for widespread adoption of decentralized applications, empowering people to transact securely and participate actively in the global digital economy.

– Aneil Singh - Senior Enterprise Account Executive at Magic

As for the Tezos journey in Africa, stay tuned: this is just the beginning.

About UABA #

United Africa Blockchain Association (UABA) is a non-profit organization formed for the promotion of the adoption of blockchain technology in Africa, and creating partnerships and networks that deliver on life changing blockchain projects.

The mission of UABA is to unify the African blockchain ecosystem toward eight common goals of harmonious coexistence and progress: education, financial inclusion, sovereign identity, skills development, job creation, gender equality, fair and efficient trade, poverty-alleviation.