Illustration, a Bitcoin logo. Photo Illustration by Omar Marques
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The African Bitcoin Conference in Mauritius began with an undeniable truth. For generations Africa has been boxed out, priced out and pushed aside by global financial systems. Cross border payments remain slow and punishingly expensive, made even harder by the dozens of national currencies that complicate trade between neighbouring countries.
Inflation and currency failure continue to erode savings. Infrastructure gaps cut millions out of basic economic participation. The same forces that have held the continent back are now driving a surge of locally led innovation.
ABC brought together builders and educators designing tools that match the real challenges people face across the continent and working to solve problems governments and banks have failed to fix.
The World Bank reports that sub-Saharan Africa has the highest remittance costs in the world, typically between 7% and 12%, with some rising above 15%. Hyperinflation continues to weaken purchasing power. Millions remain unbanked. In several regions trust in financial systems has been damaged by corruption or unstable currencies. Anise Kanimba of the African Bitcoin Institute explained. “We need to create financial access while not creating harm.”
Representatives from across the continent shared the same view. A neutral and permissionless form of money that moves instantly and at almost no cost has profound potential for a region defined by high remittance fees and limited banking access. Bitcoin connects countries that have often struggled to move money between one another. The result is a sense of unity built on shared problems and a growing belief that technology can deliver practical solutions.
Okin, founder of Easy Sats, a bitcoin education initiative, and founder of Bitcoin Mining Namibia, a small scale mining project, talked of the human impact of bitcoin.
“Namibia is a country with three million people with high unemployment especially among young people. Bitcoin has given these people opportunities. It saved my life and I want to translate that to help others.”
Africa Bitcoin Conference Mauritius – ABC25
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The conference also acknowledged that bitcoin’s early presence in Africa was complicated. “When bitcoin came to Africa it came via scams” said Lorraine Marcel, CEO and founder of Bitcoin Dada, an education initiative for African women. Rebuilding trust has become a major part of the education effort. Marcel explained that “Bitcoin opens you up to the world. It’s more than a technology. It is changing people’s lives.”
A major theme was building for African realities rather than assuming Western infrastructure. Designer Mark Kamau, known for his work with BRCK and for founding Africa’s first UX Lab at iHub, explained that constraints such as limited data, limited storage, intermittent electricity and the lack of smartphones must shape product development. “Africa finds the paradigms of what bitcoin was meant to do.” Services like Machankura which allow people to use bitcoin without the internet demonstrate how powerful local problem solving can be.
Circular bitcoin economies also featured prominently. These community based systems allow people to save and trade in bitcoin inside their own towns and villages. For regions facing inflation or currency controls these circular networks protect value and support local trade.
Energy innovation played a central role. More than six hundred million Africans still lack electricity. Erik Hersman, CEO of Gridless, showed how bitcoin mining can stabilise microgrids and finance rural power installations. The Green African Mining Alliance known as GAMA demonstrated hardware that turns surplus energy into revenue. The message was clear, that innovation can come from Africa.
Privacy and data protection were major themes. Lea Petrasova, founder of Vexl, a peer-to-peer bitcoin app that avoids KYC data collection, warned that “Your data is out in the wild forever.” She stressed the importance of peer to peer payments that do not rely on third party intermediaries. Max Hillebrand from White Noise, a project focused on privacy preserving communication and financial tools, expanded on the risks of centralised communication and financial systems. His keynote concluded with “This is how we end slavery in our lifetime and we have a decent shot at doing it.”
Former Bitcoin Core developer Amiti Uttarwar discussed the importance of building bitcoin with care and long term sustainability.
Policy discussions examined how academic work and practical research can inform future regulatory approaches. While the conference was underway, the United Kingdom introduced a significant legal change that recognises bitcoin as a third category of property under its new digital assets framework. This development offers a useful case study for African researchers and advocacy groups working toward clearer rules and safeguards in their own jurisdictions.
In South Africa, the central bank has signalled interest in bringing self custody bitcoin under exchange control rules by classifying it as a foreign asset. A recent High Court ruling found that cryptocurrencies do not fall within the current definitions of capital or foreign currency. This has placed renewed attention on the central bank’s interest in digital assets and raised questions about how future changes could affect financial access and user privacy for people in South Africa.
Africa’s adoption of bitcoin is rooted in lived experience. Colonial era financial structures, hyperinflation, currency instability and expensive remittances have shaped daily life for decades. These pressures created the conditions that allow new technology to emerge. Femi Longe from the Human Rights Foundation summarised the conference’s spirit. “Community over individualism.”
What stood out most was the sense that Africa is not waiting for direction from elsewhere. Solutions are being built that reflect their own realities and hopes. Their work offers a reminder to the world that Africa is not following, it’s leading.
