Dr. Ndemo: Fear shouldn’t cause Africa to miss out on Blockchain #WBSNairobi

Dr. Bitange Ndemo has called on African governments to be open minded when it comes to embracing blockchain; as the continent has lost out by avoiding the use of other technologies due to fear of the unknown.

Dr. Ndemo who is the chairman of Kenya’s Blockchain and AI taskforce said this during the World Blockchain Summit; which Trescon is holding at the Laico Regency Hotel in Nairobi, Kenya.  “Africa must be able to think beyond fear and embrace new technology. We missed two major tech waves with the internet and social media; we should not miss the third wave with blockchain,” he explained.

“Africa must be able to think beyond fear and embrace new technology. We missed two major tech waves with the internet and social media; we should not miss the third wave with blockchain,”

Dr. Bitange Ndemo, Chairman Blockchain and AI Taskforce, Kenya

Blockchain has potential

Dr. Ndemo said that with blockchain there is so much to be gained with productivity improvement in Africa, especially in areas of: Agriculture, education and manufacturing.

He further explained that Kenya’s Blockchain taskforce will focus on verticals key to growth of African economies, stating that, “We are not in the business of acquiring platforms, we are in the business of setting up policies”.

ICT Cabinet Secretary, Joe Mucheru recently formed the 11-member taskforce, to explore the use of Blockchain technology and AI for development in Kenya. The team is to come up with a clear roadmap for the use of these technologies locally, and Dr. Ndemo believes that one of the ways of doing this is through having conversations that come about at functions such as the World Blockchain Summit.

“The more we discuss the more we make it easier for the political class to come up with better frameworks for such technologies,” he said.

The World Blockchain Summit

World Blockchain Summit is a global series of elite gatherings that takes place around the world including Kenya, Russia, Canada, Singapore, Germany, India, UAE, Brazil and Saudi Arabia.

It connects global blockchain gurus and technology players in this space including emerging startups with regional businesses, governments and IT leaders from across key industry verticals.

The Summit features inspirational, thought-provoking keynotes, panel discussions, Tech talks, workshops, fire-side chats and a host of networking opportunities.