Report "Blockchain in Africa" published

Distributed ledger technologies such as Blockchain put transactions at the core of networking. They seek to couple connectivity with the trustworthy recording of a hand-over of meaningful entities. Such entities can be original virtual goods such as currency or rights, but also representations of physical goods. It is easy to see the underlying potential of distributed ledger technologies in all fields that relate to trade and administration of property and possessions - from digital currency systems to energy trading to the keeping of land records. However, when implementing distributed ledger systems, there are many design and policy choices to be made.

In my previous role as advisor in GIZ’s Blockchain Governance Lab, I edited and co-authored this report on “Blockchain in Africa”. We elaborate on the design choices at hand, particularly with regard to data protection and provide decision makers and the general public with strategic recommendations to leverage the potentional of distributed ledger technologies for African societies.

Blockchain in Africa - Opportunities and challenges for the next decade.

How African countries can take advantage of distributed ledger technologies as they are maturing

“Few technologies have oscillated between public appreciation and depreciation, between hype and caution as much as as blockchain technology has since its inception roughly a decade ago. This paper offers a fresh view on blockchain technology as it is maturing. The purpose is to inform African decision and policy makers about viable use cases and about the policy choices that need to be made in order to take full societal advantage of distributed ledgers and related technologies.”

Download the full report.