The technological revolution in blockchain is gaining momentum globally, and Africa is no exception.
According to a report by Chainalysis, Africa’s cryptocurrency market grew by over 1200% between 2020 and 2021, with Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, and Tanzania – all ranking in the top 20 for global crypto adoption.
This growth is powered mainly by retail users rather than institutional investors. Chainalysis reported that the African markets see “a bigger share of transaction volume made up of large retail and small retail-sized payments than the global average.” This indicates “higher grassroots adoption amongst everyday users.
This adoption is driven by several factors unique to the continent, with many African blockchain professionals leveraging the technology to create solutions tailored to its distinct challenges. From payment platforms to decentralised finance applications, these experts are using blockchain to tackle issues like financial exclusion, high transaction costs, and limited access to credit.
With the retail market driving growth, it’s clear that Africa is ready to harness the full benefits of blockchain technology.
In addition to being the third-fastest growing cryptocurrency economy, Africa also boasts a larger share of its overall transaction volume of retail-sized transfers than any other region, at just over 7%, compared to the global average of 5.5%.
Here are 15 African professionals taking up space in the blockchain industry to which you should pay attention.
1. Ahmed M. Amer (Egypt)
Ahmed is a seasoned investor and strategist with a global presence spanning Africa, the US, Europe, MENA, and GCC regions. He has successfully secured and managed $200 million in private and public capital, leveraging his exceptional stakeholder management expertise.
Ahmed has provided high-level technical guidance to prominent clients, including financial institutions like (IFC, and JP Morgan Chase), development finance institutions (DFIs), government organisations (Saudi Arabia’s SAMA/CMA, Morocco’s Ministère de l’Industrie) and Fortune 500 companies (UNICEF).
A pioneer in blockchain since 2013, Ahmed has developed innovative multiparty SaaS and BaaS solutions, driving digital transformation in fintech, payments, and supply chain management using distributed ledger technologies and smart tokens.
As founder of GIFGIF (2016), Ahmed grew the business 15x in five years, crafting a successful go-to-market strategy and forging lasting partnerships with leading Fortune 500 companies.
Ahmed leads Emurgo Africa’s $100 million fund-of-funds, investing in web2 and web3 funds and startups focused on climate resilience, access to finance, and liquidity. With a strong business growth and transformation background, Ahmed is a versatile expert in leveraging frontier technologies to support startups, businesses, governance, and family office development for long-term wealth planning.
2. Ernest Nnamdi (Nigeria)
Ernest is a respected blockchain expert with over three years of experience in the industry. He has worked at prestigious companies at the forefront of the blockchain revolution.
Recognised as a thought leader in the African blockchain industry, he has spoken at various conferences on Web3, building decentralised applications, cryptocurrency and scalable payment systems.
Ernest currently works at Celo as a developer relations engineer, growing developer communities in the Web3 and Ethereum space. Through his work at Celo, he is driving the adoption of Web3 in Africa.
3. Alakanani Itireleng (Botswana)
Alakanani, popularly known as “The Bitcoin Lady,” is the founder and CEO of Satoshi Centre. A prominent African blockchain company in Gaborone, Botswana, that creates awareness of Bitcoin technology.
The centre mainly encourages entrepreneurs to use blockchain technology to solve some of the main African problems.
Since its founding, SatoshiCentre has successfully introduced blockchain technology to many regional entrepreneurs, creating a community of enthusiastic Africans about blockchain technology.
Her journey into Blochain is one of resilience and hope. Before tragically losing her son to illness in the 2010s, she discovered bitcoin as a means to accept international donations for his treatment.
This experience ignited her passion for cryptocurrency, and with her background in teaching, Alakanani shifted her focus from traditional subjects to blockchain technology education.
4. Wisdom Nwokocha (Nigeria)
Wisdom is a seasoned technical writer with over three years of experience working with leading companies across the globe. He currently serves as the Head of Technical Content at Accumulate, an advanced identity-based blockchain protocol that supports multi-chain operations, human-readable addresses, and key hierarchies. Widely recognised as a prominent leader in the African tech ecosystem, Wisdom has been invited to speak at more than 10 major tech conferences, including DevFest, Google I/O Extended Abuja, Google Developer Student Club, and Techrity.
His influence extends beyond speaking engagements—Wisdom is also the founder of an open-source community dedicated to technical writers and android engineers, which has positively impacted over 4,000 careers.
Driven by a vision of leveraging technology to unlock the potential of Africa’s youth, Wisdom actively mentors and volunteers at tech organisations empowering the next generation of leaders.
5. Armand Gaetan NGUETI (Cameroon)
Armand Gaetan NGUETI is a versatile professional with nearly a decade of experience spanning IT, education, and digital business strategy across three continents. He possesses a unique blend of skills as a Doctorate in Business Administration candidate, Corporate Executive, IT Technical Specialist, ICT in Education Expert, and Microsoft Certified Trainer.
As Founder, Global Evangelist, and CEO of Universal Broadband & Technology Services (UBTS), he leads a global think-tank transforming lives through technology.
Additionally, Armand serves as National President of the Blockchain Association of Cameroon and President of the Government Blockchain Association – Africa, pioneering blockchain adoption and promoting awareness, research, and implementation in governments, businesses, and communities, harnessing its potential to improve lives and transform government-constituent interactions.
6. Shodipo Ayomide (Nigeria)
Shodipo is a technology leader with over 10 years of experience in the industry. Currently the head of developer relations at Nuklai, an innovative layer 1 blockchain infrastructure to host a collaborative data ecosystem, he has been invited to give talks on blockchain technology at over 30 conferences.
Shodipo is the vice president of developer relations at Intmax and was previously the global head of developer advocacy at Polygon Technology.
He is also one of the organisers of the Developer Circles Lagos from Facebook, unStack Africa, Open-Source Community Africa, and various other communities empowering Bitcoin technology in Africa and the world. In addition, he was an Expert and Instructor at egghead.io from March 2020 to November 2021.
7. Kingsley Okonkwo (U.A.E)
Kingsley is a certified Ethereum Blockchain developer currently serving as a technical writer at Consensys, a global blockchain company valued at $7B that focuses on building and scaling tools and enterprise software powered by Ethereum.
Before his role at Consensys, Kingsley worked as a Senior Backend Developer at Generation Enterprises, where he honed his expertise in backend technologies. With over three years of experience in the tech industry, Kingsley has established himself as a thought leader, frequently invited to speak at prominent tech conferences worldwide.
Proficient in technologies such as JavaScript (Node.js & React), GoLang, SQL, and Docker, Kingsley is renowned for his ability to produce in-depth tutorials and how-to guides.
His work empowers developers to harness cutting-edge web3 technologies and build more efficient decentralised applications (dapps). Based in Dubai, Kingsley balances his tech leadership with a passion for basketball and soccer during his free time.
8. Nelly Chatue-Diop (Cameroon)
Nelly Chatue-Diop is the visionary CEO and co-founder of Ejara, Africa’s first non-custodial crypto wallet and blockchain-based mobile investment and savings platform, specifically designed for Francophone Africa and the diaspora.
Ejara targets demographics often left out of traditional finance, including women, small businesses, and rural populations. With a strong educational foundation in computer science and an MBA from prestigious institutions HEC Paris and London Business School, Nelly has cultivated over 13 years of expertise in emerging technologies, traditional finance, and Web 3.0 through her leadership roles and involvement in various directorial positions across Europe and the United States.
9. Roselyn Gicira Mwangi (Kenya)
Roselyne is a prominent figure in the Web3 Kenya space. She is a renowned blockchain educator, Web3 strategy consultant and crypto media commentator based in Nairobi.
She has been involved in the blockchain education cause for Kenya and has worked in senior blockchain roles at Pesabase, Kesholabs, Utafiti, EOS, and Nile Capital. She was the only female on the EOS Nairobi core team.
EOS Nairobi is a Block Producer on the EOS Main net serving the community from Africa. Roselyn is also the author of Blockchain for You: Talking about Tech Should be as Easy as About Food and currently works as an on-chain blockchain analyst and researcher for various Web3 companies.
10. Favour Onuoha (Nigeria)
Favour is a backend developer and a developer relations engineer with over 3 years of experience in the tech industry. With an impressive track record of success, he has built and deployed several APIs and end-to-end applications for global companies across various financial sectors.
Currently working as the Head of Growth and Developer Relations at Showwcase, a professional network company built for developers to connect, build community, and find new opportunities.
Favour has also worked with international companies like Hashnode, and Alchemy. When he is not building in web3, he talks and writes about web development, web3, and software development online.
11. Michelle Chivunga (Zambia)
Michelle Chivunga is a renowned CEO, Investor, and Senior Advisor, leading digital transformation and blockchain adoption in Africa and Emerging Markets through Global Policy House.
She plays a leading role in digital transformation and blockchain adoption across Africa and emerging markets, collaborating with organisations such as the Government of Bermuda, the African Union, the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, the Commonwealth, and the World Economic Forum.
With extensive experience in government digital transformation, blockchain, and investment, Michelle excels in translating complex strategies into practical solutions.
She shapes policy direction, manages financing projects, researches digital economies, and educates on emergent technologies. Her expertise spans international blockchain programs, policy advocacy, investment, and social impact initiatives.
12. Devon Krantz (South Africa)
Devon is a leading figure in South Africa’s blockchain sector and is renowned for her impactful contributions to the industry. As the CEO of Web3 Sanctuary, an ed-tech and Web3 education platform, she is dedicated to training the next generation of Solidity developers for blockchain companies. She also co-founded and serves as CEO of Linum Labs, a blockchain development house and consultancy.
Under her leadership, Linum Labs has played a pivotal role in driving blockchain innovation and adoption across South Africa and beyond.
With her extensive experience in Web3 since 2015, she is committed to bridging the gap between traditional technology and emerging Web3 applications, making blockchain technology accessible and practical.
13. Collins Enebeli (Nigeria)
Collins is a renowned software engineer with over three years of experience helping companies in various industries like Gaming, Financial Technology, E-commerce, and Web3 build innovative products.
Currently working as a Software Engineer at LFG Gaming, a game company using technology to create timeless memories for thousands of people. With a proven track record of success, Collins has empowered startups in the UK, USA, and Europe to build cutting-edge, scalable solutions.
His passion for fostering technical collaboration in Africa led him to establish Checkmate Africa in 2020, a non-profit organisation uniting over 400 creatives across the continent to unlock their potential.
A leader in the open-source community, Collins has made significant contributions to Web3 projects
During Nigeria’s #EndSARS movement in 2020, Collins leveraged his expertise to develop a web platform harnessing digital media to amplify the message, bridging the gap between citizens and policymakers.
His impact extends beyond the tech community, as he is also passionate about community building and driving social change.
14. Njoku Emmanuel (Nigeria)
Emmanuel Njoku, a visionary blockchain engineer and co-founder of Lazerpay, is revolutionising the way businesses accept payments globally.
With a passion for building cutting-edge blockchain and crypto solutions, Emmanuel began his career at an impressively young age and became a CEO at just 19. Driven by a desire to harness blockchain technology to tackle Africa’s payment infrastructure challenges, he boldly left university to pursue his dreams.
His innovative startup, Lazerpay, has already secured over $1 million in funding, paving the way for a future where businesses can seamlessly accept payments from anyone, anywhere in the world, using stablecoins.
15. Yele Gbadamosi (Nigeria)
Yele is the Founding Partner at Microtraction, which funds Africa’s most remarkable teams at early-stage startups across multiple sectors, including financial technology and web3.
He is also CEO of Nestcoin, a platform with a mission to create financial access for Africans and build the most trusted digital finance organisation in Africa and beyond. Nestcoin aims to democratise access to economic opportunities presented by crypto and web3, making it simple and accessible to everyday people and also launching Breach, the media arm created to advance crypto education globally, and Metaverse Magna (MVM), a crypto gaming guild that helps users earn up to US$1,000 monthly.
Before Nestcoin, he was previously the CEO of Bundle Africa, a social payments app for cash and crypto. He was also a Director at Binance Labs, leading the Africa chapter of the Binance Labs Incubation Program and investments in Emerging Markets.
Yele studied medicine at King’s College London before opting out to focus on technology entrepreneurship. Yele aims to develop the blockchain ecosystem in Africa, accelerating Africa’s transition into a sustainable and digital economy.
