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| BlockXAfrica |
The Blockchain technology is growing especially with the emergence of cryptocurrencies. As the technology has found applications in various aspect of our lives many are rising through the crypto ecosystem. From Ghana the leading crypto currency start up is owned by an 18 year old, Elisha Owusu Akyaw. He's joined by dozens of teenagers who have taken a grip of the crypto-space.
Founded last year but was launched in July 2019. BlockXAfrica is a tech startup in Ghana owned by a teenager. The Ghana-based company coordinates and organizes educational boot camps on blockchain and cryptocurrency. With a team of teenagers, they run and organize these meetups through their telegram channel and social media platforms. The team plans to launch an online course by the end of 2020 solely on cryptocurrency applying interfaces familiar with the local community. The aim is to make it easy promoting the adoption of blockchain and cryptocurrency. In a conversation, he expressed his concerns on how we are not harnessing the opportunities blockchain and cryptocurrency provide.
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| Elisha at the first BlockXAfrica Meetup |
"Blockchain technology and cryptocurrency have a huge potential to change the tech landscape on the African continent but that would not be possible if the people who are supposed to effect the change do not understand the technology. BlockXAfrica seeks to make it easier for people to understand blockchain technology and cryptocurrency, one of its first applications. We hope that the knowledge we provide will lead to bigger innovations", he explained
While it seems conceptually obvious that BlockXAfrican aims to provide effective education on crytocurrency, the myths regarding the use of this financial system is a hurdle to overcome. It's 2019 but many people still think the crypto-space is some sort of a "scam". The initiative from BlockXAfrica in a way will mutually reinforce and build ourselves to change our mindset on this topic.
"Currently this space is not really regulated but the Central Bank has issued a warning concerning cryptocurrency-related operations which is understandable considering the lack of education and checks here in Ghana. People who intend to venture into the world of cryptocurrencies should always seek to understand the industry first", he added.
BlockXAfrica is already serving as a broad swathe of its target community as they hope to even do better and expand their services. Given that this organization is still in infancy, they hope to offer wide range of services with a team of 16 vibrant teenagers. They are currently working on their first eBook - Bitcoin Explained (for Ghanaians) set to publish next week. Elisha hopes to utilize his leadership experience from high school to drive his organization forward. This is an industry I know a lot of people don't care but will change with time. Anyone who understands this space will tell you the use of this technology is an efficient way of addressing most of our needs. From healthcare delivery, monetizing our businesses, transportation and decentralizing the financial system. The opportunities are wide open.