Africa, the crypto continent

in #hive-1679222 years ago

In many African countries, access to traditional banking services is limited, and financial systems are often unreliable or unstable.

This has created a need for alternative financial solutions that can provide people with greater control over their finances.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies have emerged as a life line for many Africans as they offer a secure, fast, and inexpensive way to store and transfer money, both domestically and internationally.

Beyond just being a new technology, for many people in Africa, Bitcoin is a means of financial empowerment and a tool for financial inclusion. By allowing people to transact without having to rely on intermediaries, Bitcoin has the potential to disrupt traditional financial systems and provide millions of people with access to the global financial system for the first time.

To get some context, just read this article. Even though it's market price is 22k at the time of writing this Leo Finance piece, Bitcoin is trading at $38,000 in Nigeria due to the draconian measures the government has in place.

The financially forgotten continent

In many African countries, the traditional financial system is characterized by high fees, slow transaction times, and limited access to basic financial services, making it difficult for many people to participate in the global economy.

By using cryptocurrencies in their local commerce, people in Africa are able to bypass these obstacles and access a monetary network that operates outside of the traditional system. This allows them to transact with greater efficiency and at lower costs, making it easier for them to save, invest, and participate in the global economy. Crypto is just more secure than TradFi as long as users are familiar with the protection and security measure available.

The use of cryptocurrencies in Africa is helping to increase financial inclusion and empowering millions of people who would otherwise be excluded from the global financial system. By providing access to a fast, secure, and low-cost monetary network, cryptocurrencies are enabling people in Africa to participate in the global economy and achieve greater financial freedom and stability.

More than a speculative bubble, a reality on lifestyle

Energy distribution in Africa is a complex challenge due to various factors, including limited infrastructure, political instability, and insufficient funding. The lack of reliable energy sources makes it difficult for people in many parts of Africa to access basic services, including the internet.

Despite these challenges, adoption of cryptocurrencies has been relatively smooth in Africa, as people see the value in using them as a daily currency. Despite the difficulties posed by limited internet access, the potential benefits of using cryptocurrencies, such as lower transaction fees and more secure transactions, outweigh the challenges. The price action of cryptocurrencies, particularly Bitcoin, has been seen as attractive and worth investing in, leading to their widespread use as a daily currency.

Overall, the ease of cryptocurrency adoption in Africa highlights the need for alternative financial solutions in regions where traditional financial systems are unreliable or unavailable. By providing access to a secure and efficient monetary network, cryptocurrencies have the potential to disrupt traditional financial systems and improve financial inclusion in Africa.

Opportunities are plenty

Access to computers is very limited in many parts of Africa, due to various factors such as cost, lack of infrastructure, and limited access to electricity. However, the situation is different with mobile phones, as they have become more affordable and widely available in recent years. This has led to a significant increase in mobile phone ownership in Africa, particularly among young people.

This widespread access to mobile phones has had a significant impact on the rate of crypto adoption in Africa. As a result of being active online, many young people in Africa are aware of and interested in cryptocurrencies, leading to their fast adoption. The ease of using cryptocurrencies on mobile devices, such as downloading a wallet app and making transactions through it, has made it possible for people to start using cryptocurrencies even without access to computers.

The combination of increased mobile phone ownership and young people's active engagement with the internet has contributed to the fast adoption of cryptocurrencies in Africa. Despite the limited access to computers, the widespread availability of mobile phones has made it possible for people to participate in the global financial system and take advantage of the benefits offered by cryptocurrencies.

Technological intricacies

Despite significant advancements in technology development in Africa, there is still much room for growth and improvement. The process of converting data into information that the average African can understand is critical to increasing their understanding and adoption of blockchain technology, including cryptocurrencies.

However, this is a complex process that requires the involvement of many people, including educators, experts, and technology enthusiasts. These individuals play a crucial role in translating complex technical information into a form that is easy for the average person to understand, and in teaching others about the benefits of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies.

Unfortunately, a lack of understanding of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies is a major barrier to investment and adoption. Many people in Africa are already paid in cryptocurrencies, but they do not know how to convert it into real money, making it difficult for them to realize the full potential of their investments. This highlights the need for better education and outreach efforts to help people understand the benefits of cryptocurrencies and how to use them effectively.

Overall, while there has been significant progress in terms of technology development in Africa, there is still a long way to go. To fully realize the potential of blockchain technology and cryptocurrencies in Africa, it is critical to improve education and outreach efforts and to help people understand and take advantage of these innovative technologies.

Funding Development as a runway

Many cryptocurrency projects based in Africa are in need of funding, but face significant challenges in attracting investment. One of the biggest obstacles is the limited attention that the crypto industry pays to Africa and African projects, which means that many promising ideas and ventures go unnoticed.

To overcome this challenge, there is a need for intermediaries, such as funds or hedge companies, to act as catalysts for investment in African-based cryptocurrency projects. These intermediaries can help to identify and evaluate investment opportunities, and provide support to projects that have the potential to succeed.

In addition, it is critical to increase the development of networks like the Lightning Network, which has the potential to create a strong and supportive community of crypto users in Africa. This will help to ensure that African-based projects are integrated into the global crypto ecosystem, and have access to the same resources and support that projects in other parts of the world receive.

By creating a supportive environment for cryptocurrency projects in Africa, we can help to foster innovation and growth in the region, and increase the participation of African-based projects in the global crypto market. This will help to ensure that Africa is not left behind as the crypto industry continues to grow and evolve, and that African-based projects have the same opportunities to succeed as their counterparts in other parts of the world.

Spreading the message

Many local communities in Africa have taken it upon themselves to learn about cryptocurrencies and to see their potential as more than just speculative assets. This self-organized approach to learning about crypto has resulted in a deep understanding of the technology and its potential to improve the lives of people in Africa.

However, despite this progress, there is still a need for incentive programs to promote further education and adoption of cryptocurrencies in Africa. This is because while there is now a wealth of information and educational materials available, people need motivation and support to take advantage of these resources.

Incentive programs can take many forms, such as rewards for completing educational courses, access to resources and support for starting crypto-related businesses, or simply promoting the use of cryptocurrencies in everyday transactions. By providing these incentives, we can encourage more people in Africa to learn about cryptocurrencies and to see their potential as more than just speculative assets.

Overall, the self-organization of local African communities to learn about crypto is a positive development, but there is still more work to be done to ensure that the potential of cryptocurrencies is fully realized in Africa. Incentive programs can play an important role in promoting education and adoption of cryptocurrencies, and help to ensure that African communities are not left behind as the crypto industry continues to grow and evolve.

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Africa, the crypto continent

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@tipu curate

It always intrigues (and sometimes frustrates me) how much other countries understand (or don't) the intricacies of Africa. Thanks for the @papilloncharity, you're right simplifying would help many over here - thanks for the understanding perspective @anomadsoul
from a South African

Very true. There is a lot of potentials fr crypto in the African soil. Creating more usecases and payment solutions without bottlenecks is key.

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Totally agreed, as many over here have no idea about cryptocurrencies. Maybe you have planted a seed here for us to find an easy crypto curriculum and to start a sponsored crypto training program.

https://reddit.com/r/comics/comments/10s17dz/africa_the_crypto_continent/
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @acidyo ) sharing the post on Reddit as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.

I believe that in a few years from now, Africa will be home to cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. The zeal is there but it is still relatively new and most people do not know about it as ta now.

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I agree on this ,am in Nigeria,we are facing serious problems transacting with liquid cash ,as the government hold the printing of new currency,I can tell you we are charge 10% fees on any money we want to withdraw

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You said it perfectly well. I don't know I you have stayed in Africa but this is what is actually happening.
But I will share my little word from Ghana. There are people with the potential of adopting crypto. they have the phones and other resources but they lack the knowledge.

We have been trying to educate them. but the journey hasn't been easy. We only hope that with time we will find more ways to make them adopt it.

Great post by the way.

Infrastructure cannot cope with supply/demand, people not educated sufficiently, many scam artists ripping people off in Africa. The few people approaching me is normally after being scammed, sad but true, again lack of knowledge or investing time in learning.

It's both funny and sad how in some parts of the world where people have a lot of potential they are still not able to enjoy the crypto world at the fullest, while in those places with lots of opportunities and no boundaries, people don't take advantage of these and just wait to get rich over the night without doing any efforts.

You just read my mind. This post actually looks like one written by an insider - an African.

I am already trying to see how I can play a role in helping many of my fellow Nigerian youths adopt cryptocurrencies and tap into it. Am thinking of setting up a small team and kicking off a project here in my city in Nigeria- we can call it anything like LeoAfrica. The essence will be to set up a system to educate the bustling youth population here (estimates put the number at 40 -45m) about blockchain and crypto opportunities (with a strong focus on Leo projects).

I have colleagues that are certified Google frontend/Backend developers. We can reach out to them. We can reach out to investors, local businesses and fresh graduates and many others that already have zero knowledge of cryptocurrencies. Maybe at the end of each week, we produce a post detailing our education, marketing and promotional activities. Gradually, we can make some reasonable impact here.

Already I have a large IT facility where we could hold meetings and trainings.

Nigerian financial sector has all the challenges mentioned in this post and more. This has already created a large population of unsatisfied youths and others that are badly looking for any alternatives.

A little go ahead and partnering with such project will really go a long way to bridge the crypto divide in Africa (Nigeria). Maybe I can make a more detailed post about this idea and see if its what the Hive community or Leo Team would like to look into.

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I can see that crypto could have appeal when local banking is difficult. I had a little discussion with some people on Mastodon who are very suspicious of crypto. One guy thinks that pushing it in Africa is a form of exploitation, but if it enables people to get what they need then what is bad about it? The Hive boreholes in Ghana are a net good. Obvious Bitcoin has some downsides, but there are better alternatives.

I am wondering if there are communities who transact purely in crypto so they can bypass fiat for at least some of the time. Also, are there successful crypto projects that originated in Africa? We have to be able to show that it's not all about enriching some already well off people in the USA and Europe.

Hello! I can speak from my own experience, not in Africa but in Latin America, in my case Venezuela. Here for different reasons, because it is not due to a poor banking system or lack of "bankarisation" but to overflowing inflation, liquidity problems, and the devaluation of the local currency, crypto has achieved a fertile ground, but there is still a long way to go before we can talk about a massive adoption.
There is a lack of information and education on the subject. But here it is not uncommon to find a business that accepts payments in cryptocurrencies. I have paid for goods and services in crypto, although not as many as I would like.

Cryptocurrencies should be much more widely accepted in the hard-hit economies of the third world, and that is where adoption efforts should be focused. And education is a key factor for this.

It's an interesting peace you have here. However, African rapid crypto adoption is not as it seems. You know, crypto is meant to be a currency alternative, however, as it is in most parts of the world, but more specifically here in Africa, crypto is an investment opportunity, which limits proper crypto adoption and encourages players to take advantage of it.

With most Africans, especially, Nigerians, living in poverty, they try to find escape routes out of it, and crypto seems to be easy for most of them, some win some, while others lose some.

There will always be a strong motivation for any adoption, so, Africans like myself, have come to appreciate crypto and its potentials beyond HODLing, and thanks to Hive, crypto is now more.

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