Rwanda is set to launch Africa’s first Blockchain Institute, which would offer five new courses for local developers, professionals and policymakers.
Africa Blockchain Institute (ABI) will lead the further adoption of the digital asset in Africa and open up the continent for additional Blockchain-related investment.
Kayode Babarinde, ABI Executive Director, in an interview, revealed that Africa’s first blockchain institute would offer five main courses in the pipeline.
The courses namely are blockchain essentials certification course, a blockchain developers’ course, an enterprise blockchain course, and blockchain for lawyers and blockchain for impact.
Babarinde said that the ABI foundation had earlier started with an initial phase of the Blockchain school in West-Africa.
According to him, the ABI laid the foundation for Africa’s first blockchain institute in Rwanda by running a pilot phase for the school in Ghana, where it launched the inaugural class for a blockchain essentials certification course.
While the five-course areas had already been broadly sketched out ahead of the pilot in Ghana. The school’s curriculum has now been rehauled and updated based on the responses and experiences of course participants.
The Nigerian Executive Director said that the support and cooperation of the blockchain DLT Rwanda Association, and its chairman, Norbert Haguma, has been the main factor in its decision to launch Africa’s first blockchain institute in the country.
He also noted that Rwanda was chosen to house Africa’s first blockchain institute because of its local context, which has been highly conducive for investment in blockchain technology.
Africa’s first blockchain institute
Blockchain adoption in Africa is reportedly on the rise. Due to its environment and market capacity, many technology companies are looking for ways to penetrate the continent.
From transportation to the gaming and lottery industries, reports of companies utilizing decentralized ledger technology (DLT) across the continent are emerging.
Several stakeholders in the African blockchain scene say DLT is the key to solving the developmental issues plaguing the continent as a whole.
They also believe the technology provides a platform for Africa to elevate itself to a position of greater relevance in global affairs.
Babarinde also stated that every blockchain or tech company is looking for an enabling environment to serve the African continent. Rwanda currently possesses supportive policies, resource management, and visibility for the market to make it stand out on the continent.
Blockchain in Africa
Notably, with Blockchain adoption in the continent on the rise Countries like Kenya and Ghana have announced plans to embraced the technology.
They intend to pursue regulation and greater cooperation with the private sector to leverage the benefits accruable from blockchain utilization.
While the general attention of governments still appears minimal, some countries are reportedly taking steps to promote increased blockchain adoption.
Nations such as Kenya and Nigeria have announced plans in recent months to pursue regulation and greater cooperation with the private sector to leverage the benefits accruable from blockchain utilization.
Babarinde also noted that a robust regulatory framework would be essential to reducing the traction of cryptocurrency-related scams, alluding to recent undesired activities in East Africa.
Earlier this month, the blockchain associations of Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Kenya issued a joint statement warning the public against these risks.
This summer, the president of Uganda officiated the 2019 Africa Blockchain Conference, where he identified agriculture, manufacturing and processing, services, and ICT sectors as crucial economic areas that stand to benefit from the technology’s implementation.
