African Bitcoiners

African Bitcoin Community Builders!🌍 Bitcoin adoption in Africa grows from the ground up through people, passion, and community. This is how we build a truly decentralized, African-led Bitcoin movement. 👇Learn more! https://bitcoiners.africa/african-bitcoiners-community-builders

🏅HONORING THE PARTNERS BEHIND THE MOST IMPACTFUL AFRICAN BITCOINERS 2025 Curating the Most Impactful African Bitcoiners of 2025 was a journey of discovery from every corner of this continent. But telling these stories required sponsors & partners who truly understand the mission. We are profoundly grateful to our sponsors for standing with us to honor these builders: 🔶Trezor Academy: Thank you for recognizing true impact. Your support to us for The Most Impactful African Bitcoiners of 2025 is a commitment to ensuring that the sovereignty these Bitcoiners are building can be secured and has also contributed to securing the legacy of African innovation. 🔶Plan B Network (nostr:npub1awnu9vg352863e7tqlc6urlw7jgdf8vf00tmr76uuhflp4nnn68sjmnnl3): Thank you for valuing the power of knowledge. Your support to us for The Most Impactful African Bitcoiners of 2025 has helped to amplify the voices of educators who are using your resources to enlighten great minds across Africa. 🔶To all our partners: Thank you for seeing the potential in these amazing heroes and partnering with us on this continent-wide initiative. Your belief in the African Bitcoin ecosystem turns recognition into fuel for the next wave of adoption. We appreciate you more than words can say.🌍🧡 🔶And finally, to our super super wonderful African Bitcoin community, we say a huge thank you for your contributions, nominations and consistent support in building the African Bitcoin ecosystem. Together we are empowering the next generation with the right tools for financial liberation. Thank you all.🧡

📢Check out the weekly stats for the Lightning Network in Africa: Active Nodes: 60 [ 0%] Total Capacity: ⚡️1, 273, 186, 684 [+0.002% 🚀 ] Total Channels: 231 [ +0.01% 🚀 ] Proudly brought to you by nostr:nprofile1qqsfrhzkwjd75qmakyktt094juryeuuedu9u3dz82f5shansr9us4ugrany4e Open a channel with them today !!! https://freerouting.africa

💥Celebrating Nigerian Abubakar Nur Khalil as our #1 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2025!🇳🇬 Our #1 crowns the visionary nostr:npub1sn0q3zptdcm8qh8ktyhwtrnr9htwpykav8qnryhusr9mcr9ustxqe4tr2x, Nigerian trailblazer illuminating Bitcoin's open-source frontier for the Global South. As CEO of @btrustteam and @rcrsvcapital, he's a force decentralizing development, arming African devs with elite training, grants, and unbreakable conviction to code the future, while spreading adoption through multilingual resources, youth mentorship, and cross-continent collaborations that onboard thousands to self-sovereign finance. In 2025, Abubakar's impact was profound: appointed full-time CEO of Btrust after interim leadership to accelerate open-source empowerment, including Bitcoin Core reviews for v30.0 backports and rc3 while refreshing the board for sustainable growth; launching Btrust Builders tracks like "Mastering Bitcoin" and "Rust for Bitcoiners" to skill up developers for protocol advancements and core contributions; distributing Q3 Developer Grants to six innovators including four Africans enhancing Bitcoin Core and Lightning tools with his own long-term grant fueling full-time work on fee estimation, Cluster Mempool, and package relay; securing starter funding for Bitcoin Dev Kit (BDK) to author and review dozens of pull requests boosting wallet interoperability and efficiency, and inspiring young stackers through Digital Assets contributions on Africa's Bitcoin evolution. We deeply appreciate everything Abubakar and his unstoppable team are doing to Bitcoinize Africa. Africa celebrates and extends unreserved appreciation. Thank you! 👇Learn more about Abubakar Nur Khalil our 1st Most Impactful African Bitcoiner 2025! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

💥Celebrating South African Carel Van Wyk as our #2 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2025!🇿🇦 Our #2 is transformative Carel Van Wyk, CEO and co-founder of MoneyBadger, pioneering secure Bitcoin payments for merchants continent-wide, leveraging his Luno and SnapScan foundations to fuel everyday adoption and circular economies. In 2025, Carel's impact was profound: expanding MoneyBadger's network covering half of South Africa's Bitcoin payments infrastructure and integrating 1,600+ retail points for QR-based Lightning acceptance; developing a merchant API for seamless ZAR settlements, processing 19,536 transactions worth R7.7M in H1, a 46% surge while partnering with Peach Payments for e-commerce scalability; launching the Universal Translator via Scan to Pay integration, enabling Bitcoin spending at 650K+ stores and shifting users from hoarding to utility amid rising adoption, advocating Bitcoin's open-source resilience in high-inflation contexts positioning Africa as an innovation hub. We deeply appreciate everything Carel and his incredible team are doing to promote Bitcoin adoption within and across Africa. We appreciate your undeniable efforts and you are greatly recognized by the continent. 👇Learn more about Carel Van Wyk our 2nd Most Impactful African Bitcoiner 2025! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

💥Celebrating South African Hermann Vivier as our #3 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2025! 🇿🇦 Our #3 is pioneering Hermann Vivier, founder of Bitcoin Ekasi, creating thriving township circular economies that empower communities with practical Bitcoin adoption and financial resilience. In 2025, Hermann's impact was profound: onboarding 30+ merchants in Mossel Bay townships for Lightning transactions in sats on essentials like groceries and utilities, boosting local spending and fiat independence, generating 20 tech jobs for youth and embedding Bitcoin skills in daily life, circulating sats locally for economic stability; inspiring replications in Zambia and Kenya, fostering youth empowerment and global visibility, and driving Mossel Bay's evolution from pilot to scalable operation, positioning South Africa as a hub for inclusive Bitcoin growth. We deeply appreciate everything Hermann and his incredible team are doing to promote Bitcoin adoption across Africa. We value and celebrate you greatly. 👇Learn more about Hermann Vivier our 3rd Most Impactful African Bitcoiner 2025! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

🌍Celebrating Btrust Builders as the African Bitcoin Project of the Year for 2025! We are honored to recognize nostr:npub1353snusdats4lpgwel4frhlmm05w6md2u89gss0dcdzamlhm2yas25gajp as the African Bitcoin Project of the Year. They have fundamentally shifted the narrative from "adoption" to "creation," giving African engineers the keys to the repo. In 2025, their impact was structural and profound. As The Talent Engine, they forged a continent-wide network of open-source contributors, producing several heavyweights. For Funding the Future, ₿trust disbursed over $1 million in grants this year alone, fueling the hackathons, stipends, and fellowships that keep the open-source ecosystem alive. Through Global Leadership, and building on the strategic acquisition of Qala, they proved that Africa isn't catching up, but leading the development of Bitcoin and Lightning at the protocol level. We deeply appreciate Btrust Builders for ensuring that the revolution is being coded by the people it serves. You are the backbone.

💥Celebrating Bitcoin Ekasi as the African Bitcoin Circular Economy of the Year, 2025! 🇿🇦 We are profoundly honored to celebrate nostr:npub1zkr064avsxmxzaasppamps86ge0npwvft9yu3ymgxmk9umx3xyeq9sk6ec founded by Hermann Vivier and led by Luthando Ndabambi as the African Bitcoin Circular Economy of the Year. Based in a township (ekasi) in Mossel Bay, they are proving that Bitcoin is the ultimate tool for financial sovereignty and community upliftment, directly bypassing the barriers of the inflationary Rand. In 2025, their model reached maturity, transforming a local community. This transformation included establishing a 100% Bitcoin Payroll for all 21+ staff and coaches of The Surfer Kids NPO, ensuring their income is sound money. They achieved significant Merchant Adoption by onboarding over 32 local shops, vendors, and spaza shops to accept instant, low-fee payments via the Lightning Network, creating a robust, self-sustaining economy. For Community Integration, they deepened their partnership with T.M. Nanda Primary School, demonstrating Bitcoin’s power to maximize impact: donated funds spent locally in Bitcoin achieved three times the work compared to traditional fiat donations. Furthermore, the Education Hub at the Bitcoin Ekasi Center remains a vital walk-in spot for financial literacy, ensuring self-custody and technical know-how are accessible to everyone. Bitcoin Ekasi is the definitive blueprint for how to truly Bitcoinize Africa from the ground up by building trust, driving utility, and prioritizing the people who need it most. We salute their relentless service and incredible vision! https://file.nostrmedia.com/f/0780b32ad406598bc4f3b79c07a90063ac6fb618e692151628eb2acff934b515/55d22df792d57379cc0bcd431c99311388ac1193435cdf9b390dbc30770f28f6.png34trffrfrrr 44444

💡 Celebrating Gridless Compute as the African Bitcoin Miner of the Year, 2025!  We are thrilled to honor Gridless Compute as the African Bitcoin Miner of the Year. Led by co-founder and CEO Erik Hersman, Gridless is dismantling the myth that Bitcoin consumes energy; they are proving that Bitcoin is an engine for energy abundance and infrastructure development in Africa. Gridless pioneers a symbiotic model where Bitcoin mining acts as the essential "Buyer of Last Resort" for renewable energy providers. This model provides guaranteed, predictable revenue, enabling new mini-grids to secure financing and infrastructure from day one. This directly subsidizes the cost of power, making electricity more affordable for local residents. In 2025, their expansion demonstrated the power of this blueprint: they achieved significant Geographic Expansion, scaling operations beyond Kenya into Malawi and Zambia, thereby driving infrastructure development across new regions. This led to Direct Electrification, enabling hundreds of families and businesses to gain reliable electricity access for the first time, spurring small-scale economic activity. Furthermore, Gridless showed Technical Leadership by actively sharing their open-source blueprint and leading the Green Africa Mining Alliance (GAMA) to encourage replication of this model across the continent. Finally, they focused on Decentralized Innovation, developing ways for small-scale solar operators (like local farmers) to monetize their excess energy directly through Bitcoin mining. Gridless proves that Bitcoin mining, when strategically deployed, is the most powerful tool for solving Africa’s fundamental challenge: reliable, affordable power. We salute your vision!

💥Celebrating Nigerian Bernard Parah nostr:npub19nxcrvypytpzhzsypftj5ere2ekzusc7c0w0z54ne2ekzeuxl6lq0rgwj6 as our #4 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2025!🇳🇬 We are proud to honor Bernard Parah, the CEO and Co-Founder of nostr:npub1c82xvgfm49humdlu2t27f5qa06uylvjqd6c79denl3y9279cf0gqmkj8re. He is the architect bridging Africa to the global financial system, combining relentless infrastructure building with massive human capital development. In 2025, Bernard's impact was monumental as he scaled the Strike partnership, unlocking instant fiat-to-mobile money transfers for millions in Ghana and Kenya, while expanding Bitnob’s API to settle in about 8 African currencies. Beyond rails, he invested heavily in the future, training several developers across the continent and hosting the landmark Kampala, Kenya, and Nigeria Bootcamp to equip engineers with core Bitcoin skills alongside other remarkable events to contribute to the growth of the Bitcoin ecosystem. We deeply appreciate everything Bernard and his team are doing to build both the rails and the builders of Africa's future. Special shoutout to Damilola Robert for being more than instrumental to these remarkable strides from the Bitnob team. Your value is undeniable, a true African Bitcoin revolutionary. We celebrate and honor you! 👇Learn more about Bernard Parah our 4th Most Impactful African Bitcoiner 2025! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

💥Celebrating Kenyan Janet Maingi as our #5 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2025! 🇰🇪 We are honored to celebrate Janet Maingi, Co-Founder and COO of Gridless Compute. She is the operational force proving that Bitcoin is not just a digital asset, but a physical catalyst for renewable energy and rural development. In 2025, Janet's impact was transformative as she expanded Gridless’s footprint beyond Kenya into Malawi and Zambia, utilizing stranded energy to power off-grid mining operations. Her leadership in constructing data centers has directly contributed to local electrification efforts, turning wasted renewable capacity into light and revenue for remote communities. Recognized by the BBC and nostr:npub1t8a7uumfmam38kal4xaakzyjccht4y5jxfs4cmlj0p768pxtwu8skh56yu, she has firmly positioned African innovation at the center of the global sustainable mining narrative. She is also a Director on the Board of Satoshi Sister Circle, contributing to Bitcoin education for women across Africa through Career Accelerator Mentorship Programs, and high-impact events, significantly advancing professional opportunities and Bitcoin adoption for women across Africa and the Global South. We deeply appreciate everything Janet and her team are doing to green the grid and empower and drive Bitcoin adoption across the continent. We truly value your mission and appreciate your efforts! 👇Learn more about Janet Maingi our 5th Most Impactful African Bitcoiner 2025! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

🎥Join us for Watch Party Wednesday today at 2PM UTC on Discord! We will dive into engaging Bitcoin videos, learn new insights, and connect with fellow Bitcoiners. 👇Don't miss out on this weekly chance to grow and vibe with the community! https://discord.gg/uVD8C5Jurh

💥What if understanding money felt like playing a game? What if you could solve puzzles, complete missions, and unlock the future of finance one level at a time? You can stop wondering, because we built it for YOU! Introducing the African Bitcoiners Interactive Course! This is a new, gamified journey designed to take you on your Bitcoin journey just with more fun while you learn. 👇Start playing now. Your first "Realm" is waiting for you! https://course.bitcoiners.africa/

💥Celebrating Nigerian Femi Longe (npub18yr27qkhaz05785zkjsxlnyu3lg0p22tjsje7ep229qyftc4e86qk88czq) as our #6 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2025! 🇳🇬 We are honored to celebrate Femi Longe, the Global Bitcoin Lead at the Human Rights Foundation (nprofile1qqs0rxy6jmt44guxkny8z4pkym9mxckqxfytygxuntjn6l80hj409sgy2hv7w). He is the architect behind the funding that powers freedom technology, ensuring Bitcoin remains a lifeline for those living under authoritarianism and inflation. In 2025, Femi's impact was monumental as he directed the Bitcoin Development Fund, announcing billions of satoshis in grants to support privacy tools, censorship resistance, and Lightning integration across the Global South. He co-led the launch of the Bitcoin Humanitarian Alliance, deploying funds while overseeing a historic 5-year report highlighting resources gifted to open-source builders. Beyond funding, Femi championed technical talent by supporting the training of 55+ senior African engineers via Btrust Builders. We deeply appreciate everything Femi and his team are doing to weaponize Bitcoin for human rights, promoting Bitcoin across Africa. We celebrate and value your efforts! 👇Learn more about Femi Longe our 6th Most Impactful African Bitcoiner 2025! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

💥Celebrating Kenyan Ronnie Mdawida as our #7 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2025! 🇰🇪 We are honored to celebrate Ronnie Mdawida, the co-founder of nostr:nprofile1qqs2nugu3eadeyq5kaptkfh3cnltkfk6eyzdduqqra4vpkcgatu2t9s5gtxh0 He is the architect of the Kibera Bitcoin Circular Economy, proving that the hardest money on earth works best for the people who need it most. In 2025, Ronnie's impact was profound as he onboarded over 200 local merchants in Kibera to accept Bitcoin for daily essentials, from food stalls to washrooms. He established a P2P marketplace that slashed transaction fees for small business owners. His model circulated sats within the community, directly contributing to poverty reduction for many residents and inspiring replication in three additional slums. We deeply appreciate everything Ronnie and his team are doing to build hope and sovereignty where it matters most, spreading Bitcoin adoption across Africa. We appreciate and value you! 👇Learn more about Ronnie Mdawida our 7th Most Impactful African Bitcoiner 2025! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

What was the coolest thing you did with Bitcoin last week?

🚨 A Recap on This Week's Most Impactful African Bitcoiners 2025 Honorees (#8-21) This week, we continued unveiling the leaders shaping Bitcoin adoption across Africa; builders strengthening Lightning infrastructure, educators empowering youth, and innovators turning financial sovereignty into reality. We are so honored to recognize this group: #8 — Sabina Gitau 🇰🇪 (nprofile1qqsztyptzz555j2t50ldfy7jzj8z2zzegma30erw7zcq9p9wfacrf4qgze3z4) The bridge between Bitcoin and M-PESA. As Co-Founder of nostr:nprofile1qqs97ekh6cxykm34l0m5ddrlymhj9rxrys3jemtf90psy3nysum0lkcvrgxmd , Sabina unlocked real-world spending and cross-border remittances, processing over 3 million Lightning transactions and solving the liquidity crunch for local merchants. #9 — Heritage Falodun 🇳🇬 (nprofile1qqsg0rtv3tp05kzwavvavwt38g89nqdlrlqhxkm9gj6q4jkw6703ffgtmtu5z ) Founder of DigiOats. Heritage launched Spendinaf to scale B2C remittances (12k+ transactions in one quarter) and is a leading voice for renewable energy mining ("Greening the Hash") and self-custody education. #10 — Nourou 🇸🇳 (nprofile1qqs02zc7mlapmvdu9htcpmf7hjt0xty44k5re57crcuvy4fu3gv9mjs2e29k6) The West African anchor. Founder of Bitcoin Sénégal, Nourou organizes the massive Dakar Bitcoin Days and built @banxaas_sn to bridge BTC with mobile money like Orange Money/Wave, proving that Francophone Africa is a major hub for innovation. #11 — Alphonse Mehounme 🇧🇯 Breaking language barriers. Through Bitcoin Mastermind and BitDevs Cotonou, Alphonse is localizing technical education for French speakers. His work with Flash and community training is democratizing access across Benin, Togo, and Côte d’Ivoire. #12 — Brindon Mwiine 🇺🇬 Heart-led grassroots adoption. Founder of Gorilla Sats, Brindon combines education with direct humanitarian impact, enabling a local orphanage to run on Bitcoin while pioneering Uganda's first community-owned renewable miner. #13 — Prince Ogbonna 🇳🇬 Through iPayBTC, Prince is making Bitcoin truly useful for daily life — powering airtime purchases, bills, and merchant payments while scaling low-fee Lightning transactions for thousands across Nigeria and beyond. #14 — Mukungu Felix 🇰🇪 Founder of The Core in Kenya. Felix is igniting a thriving builder movement — leading major Bitcoin unconferences, mentoring hundreds of youths/builders, and advancing Lightning-based remittances across East Africa. #15 — Theophilus Isah 🇳🇬 The visionary behind Mavapay, Theophilus is breaking barriers between fiat and Bitcoin with practical payment tools, open-source innovation, and developer training shaping the next wave of African technical talent. #16 — Mawufemor Kofi Folivi 🇬🇭 Founder of Bitcoin Dua, he is championing circular economies in Agbozume. Mawufemor blends STEM education and Bitcoin literacy to empower young Ghanaians with self-custody skills and real economic opportunity. #17 — Glenn Jooste 🇿🇦 Through Bitcoin Ubuntu and collaborations across the continent, Glenn delivers hands-on education and technical support to grassroots circular economies, helping the underbanked grow sovereign communities. #18 — Gloire Kambale 🇨🇩 A driving force in Goma, DRC. Through Bridgesats, Kiveclair, and his team’s contributions to be-BOP.io, Gloire is helping unbanked merchants earn and save in sats while pushing genuine financial sovereignty across Congo. #19 — Nzonda Fotsing 🇨🇲 Driving Bitcoin education across Francophone Africa. From leading BTC Afrique to creating the Bitcoin Kids comic, Nzonda is shaping the next generation of Bitcoiners. #20 — Belyï Nobel Kubwayo 🇧🇮 Founder of BTC Shule and the spark behind Burundi’s growing Bitcoin movement. His work—translations, courses, and connecting rural villages—keeps opening doors for everyday people. #21 — Grant Gombwa 🇲🇼 Putting Malawi on the Bitcoin map. Through Bitcoin Boma, Grant is building a strong culture of self-custody, education, and community-led adoption. These incredible leaders are proving that Africa’s Bitcoin movement is real and happening everyday in different parts of the continent. We’ll continue unveiling new honourees every weekday as we build toward the Top 3 reveal at the Africa Bitcoin Conference in Mauritius. All 21 honourees will receive exclusive gifts crafted in partnership with Trezor Academy, supporting builders who are growing Bitcoin in Africa. 🧡 👇 Learn more! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

☀️Each Saturday, make it a habit: ✅ Open your wallet ✅ Stack a little Bitcoin ✅ Log it in your savings tracker Small, consistent steps = massive long-term gains.🚀

💥Celebrating Kenyan Sabina Gitau (nprofile1qqsztyptzz555j2t50ldfy7jzj8z2zzegma30erw7zcq9p9wfacrf4qgze3z4) as our #8 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner of 2025! 🇰🇪 We are proud to honor Sabina Gitau, the Co-Founder of nostr:nprofile1qqs97ekh6cxykm34l0m5ddrlymhj9rxrys3jemtf90psy3nysum0lkcvrgxmd In 2025, she focused relentlessly on utility, building the ultimate bridge between the Lightning Network and everyday spending in East Africa. In 2025, Sabina's impact was profound as she scaled Tando to allow anyone to spend Bitcoin anywhere M-PESA is accepted, utilizing a powerful "Bitcoin-to-fiat" mechanism. Tando opened vital remittance corridors, enabling Kenyans in the US, UK, and Nigeria to send funds home instantly to family mobile wallets. Furthermore, Tando became a critical off-ramp for circular economy merchants, allowing them to easily convert Bitcoin earnings to fiat to restock inventory. Driving the acquisition of Splice Africa, Sabina led the platform to process Lightning transactions, making Bitcoin practical for thousands. We deeply appreciate everything Sabina and her team are doing to make Bitcoin usable for everyone, every day spreading Bitcoin adoption across Africa. We value and celebrate you! 👇Learn more about Sabina Gitau our 8th Most Impactful African Bitcoiner 2025! https://bitcoiners.africa/the-most-impactful-african-bitcoiners-of-2025/

📚Readers’ Friday BookClub Join us today at 6PM UTC on Discord as we wrap up our readings from Layered money by Nik Bhatia. 👇Come ready to learn, share, and connect with curious minds! https://discord.gg/uVD8C5Jurh