Jelurida Africa, a blockchain software deployment and consultancy company headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria in collaboration with the Swiss based Jelurida expanded to East Africa in the first quarter of 2021. West Africa was chosen as the starting point for the company in her agenda to promote blockchain technology adoption in Africa. The zone has for a long time been the center and focus of tech companies until the arrival of blockchain technology which provided an even ground for all countries to adopt and join the train. Expansion to East Africa was part of the agenda coupled with the great interest of the government to look into the technology especially Tanzania.
Blockchain technology is no longer a new term in East Africa considering the most recent trends and supporting interests it has secured from the government and the frequent trainings organized by many platforms. The technology, as a part of its attribute to disrupt several sectors also creates numerous opportunities for all. It increases trust and creates more values though new business models. This isn’t limited to cryptocurrency but in several other areas of applications for the technology.
Prior to the East Africa Blockchain Expedition organized by Jelurida Africa, the company had held several online and physical meetups and met with government officials on the topic of workshop and solution deployments as well. The East Africa blockchain expedition which basically covered Tanzania, Zanzibar, Rwanda, and Kenya with the purpose of providing education, certification and creating communities across East Africa and learning more about the current situation in each country when it comes to Blockchain technology.
Concerns the expedition aimed to clear include:
- Position of the Government on Blockchain
- Position of the Private sectors/establishments on Blockchain.
- The extent of Blockchain and Cryptocurrency awareness, each distinctively.
- Availability of Blockchain Developers and trainings
- Extent of Regulatory framework for Blockchain technology and Cryptocurrency.
- Stage of solution deployment and adoption of the technology and Cryptocurrency.
A lot was learned during the weeks spent on the expedition and led to the creation of the 2022 agenda and roadmap. Among the flagships for 2022 is the East Africa Blockchain Regulatory Summit, representing the second phase of the expedition. The phase 2 is a three-month event cutting across 12 East and Eastern Africa countries with the plan to converge all selected and interested with foreign experts in Kigali, Rwanda for the 2 weeks summit in collaboration with the East African governments to have a proposed framework suitable to adoption for the benefits of all. This is in line with the agenda of the governments to have a unified digital solution agenda across the E.A countries.
The interest of the countries in CBDC is also very fascinating. With acquired knowledge from the countries that have successfully deployed their own digital currencies, Jelurida Africa plans to engage the government on reimagining the wheels and design of the CBDC to better aid the development and unification of the East African countries. Blockchain is an amazing technology and has the ability to bridge gaps, increase trusts, block leakages, ensure continuous flow of revenues and wealth distribution among others if the solutions are designed and deployed perfectly.
To create more opportunities for all through the 4IR technologies, Jelurida Africa in close collaborations with other companies will be hosting East Africa BIoT University Hackathons. This is a synergy of blockchain technology and Internet of Things. Providing education, training, and incentives towards creating solutions. The Hackathon will be physically conducted in four (4) East African Countries including Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. It will also include virtual presence coordination in other selected countries. Five Universities will be selected to participate in Each country.
During the University rounds for the hackathons, we will be launching the EABRC (East Africa Blockchain Regulatory Committee/Council) Undergraduate Research Program. Here, students will be incentivized to participate in blockchain research, data collection and paper writing. Submission of quality papers will serve as a ticket to join the Regulatory committee to further bridge the gap and provide reliable intelligence for the regulators to form decisions. 2022 stand to be a busy year, but it is also going to be a notable year in history for its accomplishments.