As global blockchain adoption is accelerating, countries in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) are forecasted to massively increase their spending on the tech in the next few years. According to a new report by United States-based market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), governments across MEA will see a 400% surge in their investment to blockchain-based solutions in four years. MEA to increase blockchain spending from $21 million in 2019 to $105 million by 2023 Issued on Feb. 12, the IDC report outlines that blockchain tech is increasingly growing its share in digital transformation initiatives in the MEA region. …

Quras, a smart contract platform that enables anonymous, private-protected transactions, has partnered with non-profit association Blockchain Nigeria User Group (BNUG). According to a Feb. 5 press release from Quras, the new partnership will enable Quras to expand its community and developer base beyond Asia and to the continent of Africa ahead of its mainnet launch in early April. BNUG, which is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria and started in 2016, is a non-profit organization aiming to improve blockchain education, development and adoption in Nigeria and across Africa. BNUG is also a member of the Organization of Blockchain Technology Users, a dually-registered …

The biggest topic in the mobile industry over the last few years has been 5G. In an industry that has been starved for innovation in this interregnum between the launch of the iPhone and the full-scale integration of next-generation technologies like augmented reality, artificial intelligence and blockchain, the introduction of the 5G network has become a sort of catch-all for carriers and handset manufacturers to lean on as the promise of the future of innovation being just around the corner — a feature worth paying a premium for and upgrading that smartphone you bought just a year or two ago. …

Over 5,000 victims of the alleged cryptocurrency pyramid scheme Dunamiscoins have petitioned the Ugandan Parliament asking to refund money lost in the scam. Arthur Asiimwe, the leader of the petitioning group who presented the request to the Parliament's speaker Rebecca Kadaga, claims that the government has licensed the alleged scam firm, according to an official announcement by the Parliament of Uganda on Jan. 16. Dunamiscoins victims are not satisfied with investigation results First spotted in early December 2019, Dunamiscoins is allegedly involved in defrauding over 10,000 people, causing them losses of around $2.7 million. The apparent scam company reportedly closed …

The vast swathes of Africa’s fertile lands may ultimately prove a central arena for the ground-up development of innovative digital infrastructure and green energy projects. Recent pivotal moments in African trade, such as the African Continental Free Trade Agreement, are setting the table for an environment conducive to rapid growth, where both energy and financial infrastructure are a primary focus. Africa’s untapped economic potential is no secret. The continent’s population has soared past more than 1.3 billion, which accounts for roughly 17% of the world’s population and is mostly comprised of young people, with two-thirds of the population below the …

Singer Akon tweeted yesterday, “Just finalized the agreement for AKON CITY in Senegal. Looking forward to hosting you there in the future.” The futuristic city Last year, Cointelegraph reported early plans for the futuristic city. The project portends a “100% crypto-based city with Akoin at the center of transactional life.” The metropolis would become Senegal’s first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)-certified city. It is set on a 2,000-acre parcel gifted by the Senegalese president. Reports hint at Mbodience, a short drive from Senegal’s new international airport, as the land in question. Last week, the 45-year-old entrepreneur signed a …

The Africa Blockchain Institute (ABI) will open Rwanda’s ostensibly first blockchain school in 2020, offering five new courses for local developers, professionals and policymakers. In an interview with Cointelegraph on Dec. 26, ABI Executive Director, Kayode Babarinde, revealed that the new school has five key courses in the pipeline: a blockchain essentials certification course, a blockchain developers’ course, an enterprise blockchain course, blockchain for lawyers and blockchain for impact. Groundwork laid in Ghana Babarinde told Cointelegraph that the ABI laid the foundation for its work in Rwanda by running a pilot phase for the school in Ghana, where it launched …

On Dec. 2, Italian soccer giant Juventus revealed that the long wait for its much-hyped fan token had finally come to an end. In regard to the matter, news of the deal first came to light back in 2018, when it was revealed that the token would allow holders to take part in a host of voting and polling-related decisions. It has been reported that the $JUV coin took nearly a year and a half of full-time development and was created by the club in conjunction with Socios, a tokenized fan-voting platform for sports. Fans who possess the token will …

Ghana is maintaining a cautious approach to cryptocurrencies despite its central bank’s plans to launch a digital currency in the new year. Over the past five years, the West African country has become the fastest-growing mobile money market on the continent. The burgeoning number of mobile money users is proof that digitized payments systems are providing a means for people to become financially active. According to a 2019 economic analysis by the World Bank, the number of registered mobile money accounts in the country exploded from just 3.8 million to 23.9 million between 2012 and 2017. The statistics alone speak …

How can I find information on what’s next for Africa? Specialist publications, such as Cointelegraph, can help, as well as conferences focused on digital currencies and blockchain. The Crypto Finance Conference is one such event, which is taking place in St. Moritz, Switzerland, from Jan. 15 to 17, 2020. Organizers say that speakers are going to offer compelling insights into what lies ahead, as well as offer the time to answer questions from attendees. Already, the program is full of sessions that will be of deep interest to anyone who is following Africa’s exciting journey. There will be tales from …

Bitcoin (BTC) will see its future “defined” by Africa, one of its best-known proponents has predicted after completing a tour of the continent. In a tweet on Nov. 27, Twitter and Square CEO Jack Dorsey said that he would return to Africa in 2020 after spending time traveling in Nigeria and Ghana this month. Dorsey highlights Africa’s Bitcoin potential “Africa will define the future (especially the bitcoin one!),” he commented, revealing he planned to spend up to six months on the continent next year. During his stint in Nigeria, Dorsey attended a Bitcoin meetup, continuing his personal advocacy of the …

The Republic of Ghana is exploring the benefits of issuing a central bank digital currency (CBDC), the governor of the country’s central bank says. Ernest Addison, a Ghanaian economist currently serving as the governor of the Bank of Ghana (BoG), revealed that the bank is working with key stakeholders to explore a pilot CBDC project. In a keynote address within the 23rd National Banking Conference on Nov. 26, Addison stated that the CBDC project would be carried out in a sandbox “with the possibility of issuing an e-cedi in the near future.” The cedi is Ghana’s national fiat currency. The …