Thank you for visiting our blog post! 🤗🎀
Blockchain revolutionizes various sectors: finance, governance, supply chain, identity, and more. Its ability to provide immutability, transparency and trust give it an advantage over traditional processes. But how can you learn blockchain development in Africa? What are the resources and opportunities available for aspiring blockchain developers?
In this blog post, we will explore some of the ways you can start your blockchain journey and join the growing community of blockchain enthusiasts and professionals in Africa.
1. Blockchain Education Programs
One of the best ways to learn blockchain development is to enroll in a blockchain education program that can provide you with the theoretical and practical knowledge you need to build blockchain applications. There are several blockchain education initiatives in Africa that offer online and offline courses, workshops, hackathons, and mentorship programs for learners of different levels and backgrounds.
For example, the Africa Blockchain Institute (ABI) is a pan-African think tank that offers blockchain courses, research, and deployment solutions for digital transformation in Africa.
Another example is the Power Learn Project (PLP), a social enterprise that aims to train and provide access to opportunities to one million software developers in Africa by 2027. PLP has collaborated with EMURGO Africa, the regional entity of Cardano blockchain's official commercial arm, to leverage Cardano's blockchain technology for its learning management system. PLP also offers a blockchain course where learners can gain hands-on experience in building blockchain solutions.
Blockchain online content can also help to provide you with valuable information and insights on blockchain technology and its applications. There are many blockchain online content sources in Africa that offer articles, videos, podcasts, newsletters, and more, that can help you stay updated and informed on the blockchain space. Some examples include,
Cryptozombies: CryptoZombies is the largest education platform for blockchain development. It is an interactive school that teaches you all things technical about blockchains, how to write smart contracts by making your own crypto-collectibles game.
Useweb3: useWeb3 is a platform for developers to explore and learn about Web3. It’s for both beginners and intermediates.
Consensys Blockchain and Ethereum Training: Offers in-depth courses on blockchain development, smart contracts, and Ethereum.
Binance Academy: Binance's educational platform covers a range of blockchain and cryptocurrency topics, including development.
Blockchain Fundamentals by Plurasight: This is one of the best Pluralsight courses to learn Blockchain. Developers who have a solid understanding of the C# programming language and want to build and develop blockchain technology.
2. Blockchain Events and Grants in Africa
Another way to learn blockchain development is to participate in blockchain events and grants that can help you network, showcase and fund your blockchain projects. There are many blockchain events and grants in Africa that cater to different interests and goals, such as hackathons, conferences, competitions, and incubators. For example,
Blockchain Events
Blockchain Africa Conference, an event that aims to educate the African community about blockchain technology, spread awareness, and encourage networking within the space. The event is open to all blockchain enthusiasts, entrepreneurs, developers and investors. It is held in Johannesburg, South Africa. The next event is scheduled to take place on October 31st, 2024.
South Africa Blockchain in Education Symposium, and corresponding hackathon. This event is hosted by Stellenbosch University in collaboration with South Africa’s National Institute for Theoretical and Computational Sciences and the Switzerland-based Knowledge Foundation international standards organization. It will take place on February 6th and 7th, 2024, at Stellenbosch University.
Binance Academy has hosted a number of blockchain education meetups and university tours in many African countries such as Cotonou, Togo, Cameroon, Côte d’ivore. The aim of this is to educate students about blockchain technology. The recent university tour was held at the University of Rwanda. Visit Binance Academy X page to keep up with upcoming events.
Blockchain Grants
CoreDAO Core Africa Innovation Fund - Core DAO is excited to introduce the African Innovation Fund, a groundbreaking initiative to provide resources and networks to support local Web3 builders and projects across the African continent. This new fund is set to foster innovation, sustainability, accessibility and growth within the African blockchain ecosystem. Apply here.
NODO Grant - NODO is the pan-African Web3 discovery and news platform with a vision to inform and educate consumers on the latest Web3 products and services being developed across fifty-five countries within the African continent. NODO was launched to support the development of African Web3 projects to foster innovation and promote mass adoption, opening up business and financial opportunities for both African startups and consumers. For more details, visit NODO.
Aptos Foundation Grant Program - Designed to offer teams, individuals, and creators all around the world non-dilutive funding to further accelerate the growth of the Aptos ecosystem. Applications are currently open. To find out more information, visit this page.
BNB Chain Builder Grant - The mission is to empower developers engaged in open-source initiatives to benefit the BNB Chain developer community. It is done by providing funding and access to BNB ecosystem developers. It enables grantees to make valuable contributions to the long-term utility of the BNB Chain as recognized builders. To apply for funding, visit this page.
Celo Foundation Grant - A 5-week virtual experience where developers, designers and dreamers come together to build a monetary system that creates conditions of prosperity for all. Pre-registration for Celo camp batch 9 is now open, click here to apply.
Africa Blockchain Institute Incubation Program - The Africa Blockchain Incubation Program offers intensive four-month support for selected participants to develop and launch blockchain projects, providing training, mentorship, and resources for idea realization. For more details and how to apply for the 2024 program, visit Africa Blockchain Institute Incubation Program.
3. Community Engagement
Stay informed and connected by joining blockchain communities like Web3Ladies. This non-profit organization focuses on empowering women in Africa with essential blockchain skills. Become part of this dynamic community to contribute and disrupt the web3 ecosystem. To find out more, visit Web3Ladies community website.
4. Scholarships
In the realm of cutting-edge technologies, blockchain has emerged as a transformative force with immense potential. Its decentralized nature, enhanced security, and transparency make it a game-changer across various industries. Despite the widespread interest and growing demand for skilled blockchain developers, the availability of scholarships in this field remains limited. Some examples of scholarships available in this field include:
Binance charity - Binance scholar program is enabling the next generation of digital leaders to develop their skills, knowledge and experience without financial barriers. Binance Scholar program covers the costs of tuition and course fees at some of the world’s leading universities, colleges and vocational training providers. In addition to financial support, Binance will also provide opportunities for scholars to gain exposure to its Blockchain ecosystem, supporting their journey into continued education, training or employment so they can power the next generation of ideas and talent. Check out this page to find out more.
NITDA Blockchain Scholarship - collaboration with Domineum Blockchain Solutions, introduced the NITDA Blockchain Scholarship Program in October 2022 for Nigerians to be taught blockchain technology as part of the program so they may develop skill sets relevant to their careers in cutting-edge technologies. To keep up with the latest updates, check out their page.
Conclusion
Blockchain technology is a powerful and promising tool that can create positive change and opportunities in Africa. If you are interested in learning blockchain development in Africa, you have many resources and opportunities available to help you achieve your goals. Whether you choose to enroll in a blockchain education program, participate in a blockchain event or grant, or access blockchain online content, you can start your blockchain journey today and join the growing community of blockchain enthusiasts and professionals in Africa.
Thank you very much for reading this post 🎖️🚀
Follow EMURGO Africa for more information
EMURGO Africa invests and supports local Web3 projects in the region to adopt Cardano’s decentralized blockchain technology to build socially impactful solutions.
As a regional entity of EMURGO, the official commercial arm of Cardano, EMURGO Africa also runs a local Cardano accelerator in Africa, Adaverse, which accepts applications year-round.
For more up-to-date information on EMURGO Africa, follow the official channels listed below.
About EMURGO Africa
- Official Website: www.emurgo.africa
- X: @EmurgoAfrica
- Telegram: https://t.me/emurgoafrica
