Blockchain use in Africa, funny how this would have sounded strange ten years ago but here we are; it is part of the new rave in technology now. The increase in the use of block chain has grown exponentially over the years; this can be seen in the rise of block chain conferences and events in Africa over the years. Countries like South Africa and Kenya are taking the lead in Africa.
Local tech startups have taken up block chain technology to counter many of the economic and political issues that exist within the continent today and some impressive spread in the use of block chain in these African countries. Block chain has been used to make several significant changes in factors like health, logistics, finance, security, agriculture, etc.
During the March 2018 general elections in Sierra Leone, Agora, a Swiss Tech Company tested with their technology to determine if block chain could contribute to transparency of national elections, and ensure a fair count of electoral votes. The results showed that block chain can be used to reduce election problem and that it can be used to improve the current voting system which will inadvertently ensure transparency in election and voters having more faith in the voting process.
Another worthy example worth mentioning is the collaboration of Interpol & VoguePay to curb crime in Nigeria. In February 2018, the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) partnered with online payments provider VoguePay. The main purpose of this was to develop a block chain based information portal for crime control in Nigeria.
This platform was named interPort. This will allow Interpol gain access to information and control stakeholder’s engagements and crime reporting.
Though blockchain isn’t where it is meant to be in Africa in comparison to its foreign counterparts, we cannot deny the fact that Africa is rapidly embracing blockchain and sister technologies faster than the world thought it would.
Will blockchain become the next advancement in Africa’s technology? It’s hard to say as the larger part of it rests solely on the “powers that be” AKA, the government reactions and response to the challenges faced in this sector. Although countries like Kenya and South Africa have the potential of paving the way of being blockchain hubs for other African countries.
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