Cryptocurrency despite still being in its early stages in the African continent is already enjoying massive adoption and engagement by young Africans who are embracing the new technology and harnessing the many advantages it brings.
Cryptocurrency adoption in Africa is mostly driven by the need for individuals and businesses to tap into the global crypto ecosystem and take part in the revolution of human relationships with the concept of money
The top 5 African countries whose communities are adopting Bitcoin and other crypto assets are South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Ghana.
Surprisingly three countries from this list (Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya) also appeared in the top 10 countries in the world by cryptocurrency adoption list.
This reveals that the African continent is strongly aligned with the concept of cryptocurrency and the crypto ecosystem within the continent is projected to keep growing as time goes by.
The Crypto Ecosystem in Africa is often led and built by top voices who are usually early adopters of cryptocurrency and have positioned themselves as thought leaders and influencers in the African crypto space over the years.
In this article, Nairametrics will outline the Top crypto voices to follow in the African crypto space based on their influence and contributions to the cryptocurrency space in Africa.
1. Itireleng Alakanani
Mrs. Alakanani is a Botswana-based Crypto enthusiast who is the founder of the Satoshi Centre.
As a qualified instructor, she has utilized her teaching skills from traditional subjects to promote cryptocurrency education across the African space.
Alakanani founded and runs Gaborone-based Satoshi Centre a blockchain hub where she collaborates with engineers and developers to promote Bitcoin Education.
Satoshi Centre was established in the year 2014. The organization was created to empower young entrepreneurs, who are intellectual, social, and cultural lifeblood’s to create awareness of Bitcoin while working with developers and programmers to promote the technical aspect of cryptocurrency as well.
Alakanani has over 8,000 followers on LinkedIn and is an active member of the Black Blockchain Summit.
2. Michael Kimani
Michael Kimani is a leading blockchain voice in East Africa promoting the adoption of cryptocurrency in that part of the continent.
He is a creator from East Africa, passionate about localizing emerging tech innovations to empower African people and communities. He is best known for his ongoing leadership in developing the Web3 ecosystem in East Africa as the founder and chairman of the Blockchain Association of Kenya (BAK).
Michael has worked with two East African governments on policies and innovations in emerging technology: a draft virtual assets service provider (VASP) bill and a feasibility study on blockchain-based digital identity for small and medium enterprises (SME) financing.
Michael has over 2000 followers on LinkedIn and was very instrumental in the development of Kenya’s very first cryptocurrency policy.
3. Sonya Kuhnel
South African-based Sonya Kuhnel is a very influential voice in the African crypto space and the first woman on our list. Sonya was among the earliest adopters of cryptocurrency in South Africa and has built a following of blockchain enthusiasts in the country.
She co-founded the Blockchain Africa Conference and also founded a Bitcoin payment which is an affiliate partner of Bit Pay, that enables South African online retailers to accept bitcoin.
Her other endeavors include a Blockchain Academy and Blockchain events which she currently runs.
4. Osueke Henry
Osueke Henry is a leading LinkedIn voice in the crypto and Blockchain space. His LinkedIn page is a source of valuable nuggets on cryptocurrency trading, Investment, and General Knowledge.
Henry works as a content strategist helping founders, startups, and marketers create content that improves their bottom line and overall brand identity.
He however doubles as a crypto influencer with often deep insights on Cryptocurrency in areas of investments, viability of crypto projects, and an overall forecast on the direction of the entire crypto industry.
Henry commands a staggering 11,000 followers on LinkedIn where he shares valuable tips and ideas to his community.
5. Rume Ophi
Rume Ophi is a leading Market Analyst in the African crypto and blockchain space. His works revolve around regulations and market movements of crypto assets.
Rume served as the Executive Secretary of the Blockchain Association of Nigeria (SIBAN), actively driving blockchain adoption across the continent.
In 2020, Rume launched the Crypto preacher Blockchain Academy, training more than 5,000 young Africans in cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. His contributions have been acknowledged on top-tier platforms such as CoinTelegraph, Nairametrics, Bitcoin.com, Coin Republic, and CoinDesk.
Rume is also a regular guest on Channels TV, Nigeria’s top TV channel where he pontificates on the market movement of crypto assets and trending developments in this space.