In this week’s news roundup, you’ll read about the first group of African women who graduated from Binance’s blockchain bootcamp, the Women in Crypto event set to take place in Ghana and Kenya simultaneously, Bitmama’s pre-seed funding round, and more.
First Cohort of African Women Graduate from Binance’s Blockchain Bootcamp
Binance, the world’s leading blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider, in honour of the International Literacy Day that’s celebrated on the September 8, of each year, celebrated the graduation of the first cohort of the Blockchain for Women Bootcamp, which took place on August 27, 2022.
‘Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces,’ which is this year’s theme, aligns with Binance’s continued efforts to make crypto learning inclusive for everyone through both online and offline platforms.
In March 2022, the company kicked off the eight-week bootcamp in collaboration with Utiva, an edtech company helping young people attain digital skills, with a goal to equip women in Africa with blockchain education, tools, and skills. The bootcamp received about 3000 applications out of which only 300 were selected to participate in the bootcamp.
This commitment to supporting crypto literacy for women stems from the fact that women remain disproportionately under-represented in the industry, with 95% of crypto users being male, according to Global Crypto User Index.
“ The last few years have seen an exciting uptake in blockchain technology – with more individuals and institutions adopting newer systems. However, women remain underrepresented in this revolution and we at Binance are committed to closing this gap. This is why we are truly humbled to be equipping more African women with the skills, resources and network they require to thrive in the blockchain industry .” said Hannes Wessels, Country Lead for Binance in South Africa.
The bootcamp provided African women with learning and networking opportunities, as well as resources required to kickstart their blockchain journey.
Women in Crypto Event to Simultaneously Take Place in Accra & Nairobi
Women Who Build Africa, a community that brings together women and non-binary people working in or around the tech space, has officially launched and will host its first event, Women in Crypto, which will take place in Accra, Ghana, and Nairobi, Kenya simultaneously on September 22, 2022.
The event, which is held in partnership with Yellow Card and MFS Africa , is open to all genders with the simple goal of engaging women in the space. The event is co-founded by Gwera Kiwana, Crypto founder in residence at MFS Africa, and Thea Sokolowski, Head of Marketing at Stitch. According to both founders, the event will strive to create an intentional space where members can meet, share what they’re building, give and receive feedback, find mentors, investors, employees, employers, and more.
“ The idea for Women Who Build Africa came out of multiple conversations Gwera and I had over and over with women in our network, many of whom confirmed there really isn’t a space that exists where we can come together to intentionally talk about our experience building in the tech sector ,” says Sokolowski.
The dual-city Women in Crypto event is dubbed as a “first of its kind”, and will take place at Front Back Osu in Accra, Ghana, in partnership with Yellow Card, and at Jenga Leo in Nairobi, Kenya, in partnership with MFS Africa. The events will include a fireside chat with experts in Africa’s crypto ecosystem, hosted by Yellow Card’s Alice Tomdio and Kiwana herself. Those working in the crypto space as well as the “crypto-curious” can register online to attend.
Bitmama Closes its $2 Million Pre-Seed Funding Round to Expand its Operations
Nigerian blockchain payments startup, Bitmama , has secured an additional $1.65 million to its pre-seed funding to close the round at $2 million.
The latest round is led by Unicorn Growth Capital and Launch Africa Ventures, with participation from Adaverse and follow-on from Flori Ventures, which led the earlier round. Other new investors include Tekedia Capital, GreenHouse Capital, ODBA, Five35 Ventures, Chrysalis Capital, Enrich Africa, Thrive Africa,  AngelList Ventures, and various angel investors.
“ We are building Africa’s most user-friendly, innovative blockchain company, and we are glad to have the backing of seasoned investors and partners who have walked similar turfs. We are privileged to learn from their blended experiences across corporate and blockchain business verticals. We’re confident of the results we’ve achieved so far, and we’re set to build the next big solution that the market deserves ,” said Ruth Iselema, founder and CEO of Bitmama.
Bitmama, which currently has operations in Ghana, Kenya, and Nigeria, had in October of last year, closed a $350,000 pre-seed funding round. The startup plans to use the funds to expand its operations, consolidate its product offerings, plan its market penetration across Africa, strengthen its team across the different markets and quickly scale new use cases for digital currencies within the continent.
Nigeria’s Flutterwave Adds eNaira as a Payment Option
Flutterwave , a Nigerian payments technology firm, has added Nigeria’s central bank digital currency (CBDC) eNaira, as a payments option as it looks to expand its operations amid regulatory difficulties across Africa.
The firm said it had added the CBDC as a payment option for its merchants who use the platform to settle payments. The eNaira, which is the first central bank-backed digital currency in Africa, is said to be targeting eight million tech-savvy young Nigerians. The move by Flutterwave is also expected to boost adoption of the digital currency, which has been slow since its launch last October.
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