Promoting Blockchain Education in Africa
May 25, 2024
Key Insights
Blockchain education in Africa faces significant obstacles, including a myopic focus on crypto trading, limited government support, an abundance of low-quality or overly complex courses, and an overwhelming emphasis on developer roles.
- To foster blockchain education, there is a crucial need for government-backed research and innovation centers, standardization and accreditation of blockchain courses, and collaborations between academic institutions and industry players.
- Beyond developer roles, the blockchain industry offers a variety of career paths such as blockchain architects, Web 3.0 UX/UI designers, security experts, data scientists, project managers, community managers, consultants, and educators, all of which are essential for the growth of the blockchain ecosystem in Africa.
Primer
How we scale blockchain education in Africa we might need for blockchain transition?
ConsenSys and YouGov conducted a poll that showed that Nigerians and South Africans comprehended Web3 better than those from big economies like the UK, US, Japan, and Germany (99% and 98%, respectively). The majority of this awareness is cryptocurrency-focused. But very few individuals are equally knowledgeable about the underlying technology, blockchain.
What is the reason behind this?
Four Things get in the way of Blockchain Education in Africa
One thing is the myopic vision of not perceiving blockchain beyond crypto trading opportunities.
The second is that there is little government incentive to promote blockchain education in Africa.
The available courses are either sham or overcomplicated for beginners to grasp.
The “developer fever.”
Now, let’s break each one of them step by step.
1. The Myopic Perception
Chainalysis states that Sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 2.3% of global transaction volume between July 2022 and June 2023. During that period, the region received an estimated $117.1 billion in on-chain value. Retail trading accounts for a significant portion of this statistic.
It is justified! The question is “how”?
The background of scams we have here with crypto has created the notion of “how do I join?” notion. Therefore, most people have mostly traded crypto as a get-rich-quick scheme. The problem is that this category falls prey to the ever-lurking scammers. No sooner do they join than they quickly exit with a negative perception about cryptocurrencies.
But there are also ardent crypto enthusiasts who have had highs and lows within the same industry.
You can agree that we have reached the floor when it comes to trading but many are still struggling to reach the ceiling. The benefits of blockchain technology go beyond the trading profits.
2. The Bare Minimum Role of The Government
The government’s involvement in the cryptocurrency space has been mostly indirect. Instead of supporting the mainstream adoption of crypto-based financial solutions, Africa Nenda says they have emphasized CBDCs, whose value proposition is still unclear.
The burden lies on lobbyist groups like blockchain associations to spread the gospel of Blockchain.
“More focus should be on the driver of this technology, the young people, and how this will help Africa in the future to be known for powering other emerging technologies and not be focused on banning the promoter; a good example is El Salvador.” OGBONNA REX MONDAY Ogasa Technologies lamented.
Tomorrow isn’t here yet. But we are building our future with our actions, which reflects how we support blockchain education in Africa.
3. Courses: Deceptive, Complex
A quick Google search on blockchain courses on the internet will surprise you with the number of results that appear.
Okay!
People ‘supposedly” enroll in sponsorship programs targeting Africans wanting to learn about blockchain in particular technical areas, only to be put in a moderated WhatsApp group and a website with links to numerous study materials.
Where do you start?
The completion rates of such programs must be suboptimal. However, they are not for the faint-hearted. 
There is a heart-breaking shortage of quality courses and certifications to facilitate individuals’ transition to blockchain.
4. The "Developer Fever."
The demand for blockchain developers in Africa has skyrocketed!
There is a reasonable explanation.
The CV VC African Blockchain Report 2022 indicated that the blockchain startup funding had increased by 429% to reach $479 million in 2022 – a phenomenon reflecting the high number of companies competing for the limited number of developers locally.
The developer career is the only tried-and-proven pathway to get paid.
But it is not the only way.
A challenge arises when this space is chromed with developers who are too technical to articulate this technology to the green onlookers.
How Do We Remove the Blockers to Blockchain Education in Africa?
1. Let's Leverage the Media and Social Media Effectively
There are multiple ways to resolve the “myopic perception” syndrome, but social proof is the best. There should be more success stories of individuals who have built fulfilling careers within the blockchain industry. Here is a great example a video of Yvonne Kagondu continuing to inspire in a local broadcasting station.
Here is a list of blockchain-focused news outlets driving change in Africa:
BitKe: Award-winning blockchain and cryptocurrency media covering the continent’s most recent news, interviews, and events.
Mariblock: Leading source of blockchain and digital asset news.
Cryptotvplus: YouTube channel and media group covering blockchain and crypto-inspired news and stories.
2. The Government Must Support Blockchain Research and Innovation Centers
The best way for governments to support research and innovation in a technology that it does not understand but has a transformative potential is to increase funding. They can achieve this via grants, incentive programs for collaboration, and access to government databases for data-driven research. Most available research on Africa’s blockchain landscape has been conducted by external parties such as Emurgo, PWC, Chainalysis, etc. The outcome is fragmented data on the technology’s impact to drive meaningful change.
Here are a few organizations striving to impact Africa’s blockchain industry through research:
Chaintum Research: A forward-thinking independent organization driving blockchain transformation in Africa through research.
Africa Blockchain Center: Engage, research, and train to accelerate the pan-African blockchain revolution.
Africa Blockchain Institute: Encourage the adoption, development, and application of Blockchain Technology.
BRI Africa: African think-tank launched by Standard Bank Group in partnership with the Blockchain Research Institute to drive digital transformation in Africa.
Blockchain Association of Kenya: nonprofit pushing for digital asset legislation and ecosystem growth.
3. Standardisation and Accreditation of Blockchain Education in Africa
Wouldn’t pursuing a blockchain course as a first or complementary degree in any of the local universities be exciting?
With industry standards in place, blockchain courses and certification will achieve consistency and quality. The accreditation bodies should be informed about the benefits of such programs.
Certain notable higher learning institutions have emerged as forerunners to offering blockchain education in Africa:
Strathmore University: teamed up with 482. solutions to provide courses in blockchain solutions development.
Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology: Hosted the first stop on Binance’s East Africa tour.
University of Johannesburg: included blockchain certification into its curriculum a couple of years ago
Pan-Atlantic University: develops blockchain education material and Web3 training programs.
Centennial Schools: Offers a 10-module course on blockchain and cryptocurrency applications.
The trend of blockchain education is characterized by partnerships between industry players and academic/ non-profit institutions.
4. Skillset Diversity
Not everyone wants to be a smart contract developer. Other professional opportunities pay equally well in the blockchain space.
Web3 is here, leading blockchain networks, including Cardano, Stellar, Celo, Ethereum, have launched Africa-focused initiatives.
Here are some potential job opportunities for you:
Blockchain Architect: Designs and oversee the implementation of blockchain systems.
Web 3.0 UX/UI Designer: create user-friendly and intuitive interfaces for Web 3.0 platforms.
Blockchain Security Expert: identifies and mitigates vulnerabilities in blockchain networks.
Blockchain Data Scientist: use machine learning, and statistical modeling to derive meaningful insights from blockchain systems.
Other non-technical career pathways include blockchain project manager, blockchain community manager, blockchain consultant, and blockchain educator.
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