From smart insurance to on-chain document verification: Here’s how Near aims to improve Kenya

Published at: May 9, 2022

Kenya-based blockchain community Sankore has partnered with Swiss nonprofit Near Foundation to launch a regional hub that aims to develop talent within the region and build projects that aim to improve the local ecosystem. 

Sankore supports projects like Kilimo Shwari, which is a blockchain-based insurance program that helps farmers deal with natural disasters. Apart from this, the firm also supports Ledja, a project which focuses on combating fraudulent documentation within Africa by using Near Protocol for document verification.

The partnership will further these initiatives by developing talent within the region through its workshops. Kevin Imani, the founder of Sankore, said that they are “thrilled to be working with Near to educate and nurture talented individuals” and support their journeys to become blockchain developers.

Sankore also runs meetups, where they educate younger Kenyans about Web3. This will also also be supported by the partnership with Near. As the hub becomes formalized, its educational arm has also already tied up with local universities and currently has 84 students and six graduates who were certified as developers through Near workshops.

Marieke Flament, CEO of Near Foundation, said that they are also “excited by the potential avenues throughout Africa for blockchain solutions.” Flament mentioned that the partnership gives the firm an opportunity to find and partner with talents within the region.

Related: On Freedom Day, Bitcoin gives South Africans a stake in their financial future

Back in February, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) sought the input of the public on the development of a central bank digital currency (CBDC). They published a discussion paper that aims to get input on potential pros and cons and regulatory challenges surrounding the introduction of a CBDC in Kenya.

In other parts of Africa, blockchain and crypto adoption have made progress. In April, the Central African Republic (CAR) adopted Bitcoin as a legal tender. This means that the citizens of the CAR can use Bitcoin (BTC) for their transactions in addition to the Central African CFA franc.

Tags
Adoption
Blockchain
Kenya
Near Protocol
Related Posts
Kenyan electoral commission nominee clamors for blockchain voting
Justus Abonyo, former chair of Kenya’s Social Democratic Party and current candidate for commissioner of the country’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has called for the adoption of blockchain voting. According to a report by Kenyan news outlet, The Star, Abonyo spoke of this while appearing before the selection committee overseeing the appointment of IEBC commissioners at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Thursday. Detailing his support for blockchain voting adoption, Abonyo said such a move would have significant, cost savings benefits of up to 300%, stating: “The cost of a ballot in Kenya ranges between $7 to $25 …
Adoption / July 15, 2021
Africa Using Blockchain to Drive Change, Part One: Nigeria and Kenya
Blockchain adoption in Africa is on the rise. From transportation to the gaming and lottery industries, reports of companies utilizing decentralized ledger technology (DLT) across the continent are emerging. Several stakeholders in the African blockchain scene say DLT is the key to solving the developmental issues plaguing the continent as a whole. They also believe the technology provides a platform for Africa to elevate itself to a position of greater relevance in global affairs. While the general attention of governments still appears minimal, some countries are reportedly taking steps to promote increased blockchain adoption. Nations such as Kenya and Nigeria …
Adoption / Sept. 15, 2019
5 year study: Can token rewards improve HIV patient outcomes in Africa?
A groundbreaking five-year study into whether crypto token incentives can improve health outcomes for patients with HIV/AIDS will be launched in Kenya by the end of the year. On Nov 1, the blockchain-powered healthcare ecosystem Immunify.Life and the Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST) announced they had secured the approval needed from an ethics committee and the national commission to launch the study. Together they will conduct a five-year study on HIV/AIDS starting before the end of 2021 in the Kakamega County region of Kenya, before extending throughout the rest of the country. The first major project of …
Adoption / Dec. 3, 2021
Near Protocol picks up slack, onboards Tracer following Terra’s downfall
For many layer 1 crypto projects, returning to normalcy from Terra’s death spiral meant a complete migration to a different ecosystem. But, how does one make the right move, especially after knowing the unfortunate fate of their initial platform of choice? In the case of Tracer, a Web3 fitness and lifestyle app, moving away from the Terra ecosystem for survival was just one piece of the puzzle. Choosing a new host to build on requires more than checking the technical compatibility with the blockchain ecosystems. As explained by Near Foundation’s Nicky Chalabi, projects like Tracer seek alignment with the ecosystem’s …
Adoption / May 23, 2022
NEAR Protocol partners with Google Cloud to support Web3 devs
NEAR Foundation has announced a new partnership between Google Cloud and NEAR Protocol, providing infrastructure to NEAR’s Web3 startup platform, Pagoda. According to an Oct. 4 announcement, this partnership will allow Google Cloud to provide “technical support” to NEAR grant recipients by providing infrastructure for NEAR’s Remote Procedure Call (RPC) node provider to Pagoda. Near Protocol is a decentralized application (DApp) platform that focuses on usability among developers and users. It uses sharding technology to achieve scalability and, as a competitor to Ethereum, is also smart-contract capable and a proof-of-stake (PoS) blockchain. Launched in Feb. 2022, Pagoda is a startup …
Adoption / Oct. 5, 2022