Strathmore’s @ilabAfrica To Offer Training On Blockchain

@ilabAfrica-Strathmore University has partnered with 482.solutions, Odessa, Ukraine with the aim of providing training on blockchain solutions development to students at Strathmore University and other interested professionals. This training is set to equip students with skills that will set them apart from others and provide the Kenyan market with highly skilled professionals in blockchain.

The establishment of partnerships between Strathmore University and 482.solutions became possible thanks to the assistance of the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Kenya.

Blockchain technology has proven to be a catalyst across a wide variety of industries and the demand for people with blockchain skills is quite high. Many companies are looking to hire those who have the skills set to navigate this new technology. Its features of immutability, distributed nature and provenance guarantee data safety and integrity. Because of the nature of blockchain technology, hackers will have a tough time reaching all the networked nodes to tamper with any records. Blockchain technology is perfect for securing information, storage and sharing.

During the virtual MoU signing ceremony, Eunice Maingi the Project Coordinator in the IT Security Department and lead of the Blockchain research team, @ilabAfrica-Strathmore University said, “We are looking forward to having our first workshop in April. It will be a virtual workshop and we will have an option of making it a hybrid course for students who want to attend the course physically @iLabAfrica Strathmore University.”

Richard Otolo, Manager of the IT security research, @iLabAfrica-Strathmore University said, “After this training, we can see our students engaging in projects that are focused on the industry. There are several challenges that blockchain can address like fraudulent certificates, title deeds among other key records that face major threats of fraud and tampering. The training will be a forum to upscale existing techies and to increase the number of professionals who can use this technology to combat the mentioned challenges.”

Over the years, counterfeiting has become a global issue that affects a wide range of industries. Proving or disproving the authenticity and quality of an asset can quite difficult because traditional supply is complex and lacks transparency. However, if a producer or manufacturer’s goods are placed on blockchain, their origin and trail throughout the entire supply chain can be easily tracked and verified, making it difficult to pass off counterfeit products for genuine ones.

Leonid Khatskevych , Strategic Partnership Manager at 482.solutions said, “The training will offer theory and practise. The theory will be about blockchain systems in general, cryptography and bitcoin protocol while practice will be about smart contract. Students will have an option to choose between creating of Ethereum  ERC-721 token or “Voting smart contract.” He further added, “There will be our demo solution Woden, based on Hyperledger Fabric, where students can realise the electronic document workflow and digital voting.”

Dr Joseph Sevilla, Director @ilabAfrica, Strathmore University mentioned, “I am happy about this collaboration and I look forward to the outcomes of these training which will provide the Kenyan market with highly skilled professionals in blockchain. We are also looking at partnerships with government institutions to help them solve local problems by implementing blockchain solutions.”

Others in attendance during the signing of the MoU included Ivan Balashov, Co-founder & CFO at @482.solutions, Roman Kravchenko Co-founder & CEO at 482.solutions, and Alexander Kryvoruchko the Co-founder & COO at 482.solutions.