Bitcoin and Africa are often mentioned in the same sentence, particularly when talking about remittances and the unbanked. Now, the stage is officially set to delve into these issues and beyond, as the first Bitcoin conference on the African continent is ready to open its doors April 16-17.

First event in Africa

While the rate of adoption and the number startups on the African continent are no match for those of Europe and North America, there is an effort to catch up and the African Bitcoin community is taking a major stride forward on April 16-17, 2015.

In these two days, the Imbizo Conference and Function Studio on the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa will become a place where attendees will experience the first Bitcoin Africa Conference, the first such event on African soil. Cointelegraph is proud to be the official media sponsor of the event, for which everything is already set, according the organizers, Bitcoin Events Pty Ltd, who made the announcement in a press release.

It has also emerged that the two-day event has attracted the attention and participation of merchants, investors, venture capitalists, startups and Bitcoin enthusiasts from several African countries including Botswana, Kenya, Ghana, and Zimbabwe. Additionally, many delegates will also come from outside the continent with many expected from the United Kingdom and United States.

Agenda and speakers

Among the topics to be covered include what is Bitcoin, the blockchain and bitcoin mining. Others are merchant adoption, legal and regulatory implications, and the future of Bitcoin on the continent.

The key speaker will be Vinny Lingham from South Africa, a globally recognized entrepreneur who is the co-founder and CEO of Gyft, as well as several other Bitcoin startups. Other speakers scheduled to address the meeting include Bitcoin Foundation Board member, Brock Pierce, Managing Director and Founder of BetVIP, Daniel Schwartzkopff, and the CEO and Co-founder of Bitpesa, Elizabeth Rossiello.

Others will be PayFast’s Jonathan Smit, Bankymoon’s Lorien Gamaroff and BitX’s Marcus Swanepoel.

This impressive list of speakers and participants shows that South Africa and the continent are well on their way to become an important part of the International Bitcoin community.

If you are planning to attend, visit the event’s website to buy tickets and reserve your seats today. Enter the promo code: BitAfricaConf10%Discount to receive a 10% discount on tickets.


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