Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town 2025

For over a decade, Alex has worked at Luno, focusing on expanding Bitcoin adoption in South Africa and beyond. He is currently working on enabling Bitcoin payments through Luno Pay, which is accepted by over 30,000 merchants in South Africa. Additionally, Alex is involved in projects related to Bitcoin custody and mining, and contributes to opensource freedom software.

Almo is Namibian born and based in Cape Town. He is a founding team member and executive in legal & compliance at INVES Capital, and host of the Business, Bucks & Beachbats Podcast (YouTube exclusively).

He holds an LLB, Postgraduate Diploma in Financial Planning and Postgraduate Certificate in Social Security & Pensions. He has been professionally certified as a legal practitioner, financial planner and fiduciary practitioner. Almo has also authored sections in two legal academic publications - Juta & LexisNexis, specially focusing on regulation, including a roadmap on digital asset regulatory developments in South Africa. Almo has been, and is currently involved in a number of innovative projects furthering the adoption of Bitcoin in South Africa and Namibia, bringing his experience in regulatory matters together with his passion for real financial inclusion.

https://x.com/almolubowski

Anita Posch is a renowned educator, author of (L)earn Bitcoin, and founder of Bitcoin for Fairness (BFF), a non-profit initiative focusing on Bitcoin adoption in the Global South through education, knowledge sharing, and capacity building. BFF promotes Bitcoin for financial freedom and inclusivity and educates students on digital privacy and self-sovereignty.

https://twitter.com/anitaposch
Nostr: npub1tjkc9jycaenqzdc3j3wkslmaj4ylv3dqzxzx0khz7h38f3vc6mls4ys9w3

https://bffbtc.org

Belyï Nobel Kubwayo is a Burundian Bitcoiner, economist, and social entrepreneur with a passion for technology and financial autonomy. He is the founder of BTC Shule, an initiative that educates Burundians on Bitcoin through meetups and online training, building a circular economy to foster financial autonomy in Gitega. Belyï holds some Bitcoin certifications including the renowned CBP(Certified Bitcoin Professional), Sailor Academy, and Crack The Orange, solidifying his expertise in Bitcoin education and adoption. He is also writing a book that explores Bitcoin's potential in Africa, presenting it through African realities to resonate with and empower the continent’s youth.

Twitter/X: @belyi_nobel

Nostr:
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Beverley Schäfer spent 15 years in the arena of South African politics, As a former ward councillor for the City of Cape Town, then elected to Provincial Parliament in 2014 and served as Chair of the Standing Committee for Economic Opportunities, Tourism, and Agriculture for four and a half years. She was appointed as Minister of Economic Opportunities, Tourism and Agriculture under Premier Zille for a short period of time, where she managed the Western Cape economy, through a demand-led, private sector approach for jobs and growth.

In 2019, Beverley was elected as Deputy Speaker for the Western Cape Provincial Parliament support the Speaker as a Presiding Officer during parliamentary sittings and overseeing International Relations and Protocol. She has close relations with both the Diplomat and Consular Corps in South Africa for the WC Parliament. In June of 2024 she departed politics and has set up her own consultancy. Beverley is also an IoDSA Board Director and sits as Advisory Board Member for The South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA), an industry body focused on promoting the advancement of responsible AI in South Africa.

Brindon Mwiine is a passionate advocate for Bitcoin adoption, and the co-founder of Gorilla Sats, a company promoting Bitcoin-powered tourism in Uganda.

As a founder of Bitcoin Kampala, Brindon uses Bitcoin to improve the lives of 113 orphans and has through educational initiatives like My First Bitcoin Diploma classes, Trezor Academy and the impactful "Eggs & fruits for Sats" projects fostered the local daily usage of Bitcoin.

He is the host of the Bitcoin in Africa Open discussion hosted on 21st of each month

https://x.com/BitcoinKampala

Byron is a software developer working on the Liquid Bitcoin sidechain at Blockstream. He is a Bitcoin, privacy, and freedom technology advocate. He was born and raised in Johannesburg, and is the only Blockstreamer currently living in South Africa. Byron works on maintaining Elements, which is an open source software fork of the Bitcoin core software. Elements runs the Liquid sidechain, a Bitcoin layer 2 scaling solution, which provides confidential transactions, faster blocktimes, and much cheaper fees. When he's not hacking on Rust or C++ code, he's chilling with his wife and kids, or enjoying the outdoors on his mountain bike.

Links:

https://x.com/byronhambly
https://primal.net/p/npub1empusn0uefqn5ymjj8f9xleaajufpxyjhu0d97yedjppdf2xw4uq6nr7fl

Carel de Jager is an engineer with a passion for Bitcoin, Cryptography, and Energy. Since 2016, he has trained developers, corporates, and governments globally on the benefits and use cases of Bitcoin. In 2019, he shifted his focus to product development, leading to his current role as CEO of SilverSixpence, where he spearheads the development of innovative blockchain accounting solutions. He also serves as CTO of Bitmach, a leading commercial Bitcoin mining company in South Africa.

Twitter: @sovereignCarel
Nostr: npub1ulwhxph47zu9zfgqautk4q25rkym8d6wyuh50f6kg26zaftc0c7qw9q5v0

Carel de Villiers is the co-founder and CEO of Shiftly, one of the leading Bitcoin arbitrage service providers in South Africa. With a strong background in finance and economics, Carel discovered Bitcoin in 2013 and has since become a passionate advocate for Bitcoin as the best form of money. Under his leadership, Shiftly has become the largest supplier of Bitcoin to South African exchanges, consistently providing liquidity and driving growth in the local market for the past five years.

https://x.com/careldev
https://shiftly.co.za/

Carel is a Bitcoin convert doing the work of Lord Satoshi. He has dedicated his life to proving Bitcoin can be money. His contributions to the local ecosystem in South Africa include co-founding the largest Bitcoin exchange, Luno, and more recently building MoneyBadger, which powers Bitcoin payments at over 1500 Pick n Pay stores nationwide.

https://primal.net/p/npub1y0fv5l5ehzcqmh7esgtltvgjp30lxnt08shmqdcnmzrwl3v2mnsswgm5py
https://x.com/MoneyBadgerPay

6DOT50 Vouchers are commodity money products used as a store of value and mode of payment.By combining the familiarity of vouchers with banking grade transactional services we enable people and businesses to store value, send value and transact without the need to own a bank account and we remove the compliance barriers that have excluded billions of people and informal traders from accessing the digital economy.In South Africa there are more than 11 million people who do not have access to a bank account, do not have the luxury of storing their money safely and do not enjoy access to safe and easy ways to make payments. They rely 100% on cash, have no viable way to access credit or even safely send money to their family.We are building the world’s largest and most used voucher based transactional services platform using 6DOT50 Digital Money Vouchers as a store of value and mode of payment by turning every mobile number into a banking grade transactional account.Our starting point has been in South Africa, where we have focused on enabling the unbanked and the underbanked to hold a free transactional account accessed through zero rated USSD. KasiCASH, powered by 6DOT50, is the account of choice for the waste picker community and is enabling car guards, petrol attendants, domestic workers, farm labourer’s and informal traders to store their money, send money, receive money and enjoy safe and easy digital payments. The KasiCASH journey will provide a valuable entry point for previously excluded individuals and businesses to access credit and insurance products.Cryptopmts, on the other hand, is enabling millions of crypto account holders in South Africa to spend their crypto value across more than 80,000 stores and online retailers.

https://www.6dot50.com/about

Christopher MacClements is a trained architect from Pretoria residing in Cape Town.

He completed his master’s degree at the University of Pretoria and works as a
multidisciplinary creative and designer, and self-taught graffiti artist, doing illustrations and large scale murals.

In 2024 he started accepting Bitcoin as payment, converted all his savings into Bitcoin and adopted it as a savings tool for his family in the future.

https://x.com/_MacLemons

Christoph is a open-source developer who discovered Bitcoin's potential in 2020. He is the lead developer of RaspiBlitz's web interface, making Bitcoin node operation more accessible. He also created ManySats, a tool for converting between bitcoin and fiat currencies. His work focuses on improving Bitcoin's usability through intuitive tools and interfaces.

Twitter profile: https://x.com/cstenglein

Cole Tuckett
Cole is a Bitcoin Educator who helps people secure their bitcoin using the best hardware, tools, and practices.

https://x.com/ColeTU

I'm 34 years old, ex-CA(SA) that never registered with SAICA because I believe degrees and diplomas are dumb, I worked for 5 years as an equity analyst at a an asset manager in Cape Town, bought my first btc in 2017 going against everything I learned in classical investing circles, sold (read: lost in a boating accident) some of my stack to buy my own business and now I wash cars for a living.

https://x.com/sevexity

www.sevexity.com

Craig is the sole developer of Sparrow Wallet, a Bitcoin only desktop wallet with a focus on security, privacy and usability. His work aims to provide users with a powerful interface that provides full control and transparency over their funds, while being simple enough for beginners to start and grow their understanding over time.

X: @craigraw
Nostr: npub1hea99yd4xt5tjx8jmjvpfz2g5v7nurdqw7ydwst0ww6vw520prnq6fg9v2

David Ansara is the Chief Executive Officer of the Free Market Foundation (FMF), a classical liberal think tank and policy advocacy organisation headquartered in Johannesburg, South Africa.

A well-known public speaker and commentator, David is a strong advocate for individual liberty and market-based approaches to public policy.
Throughout his 16-year career, David has held various positions in think tanks, professional services firms, and trade associations. Prior to joining the FMF in January 2023, David served as the Executive Director of the Centre For Risk Analysis (CRA) at the South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR).
David is an alumnus of the University of Cape Town where he completed his undergraduate studies and, in 2008, an MSocSc specialising in political studies. In 2024, David was elected as a member of UCT’s Council, the university’s highest governing body.

Executive Head of Value-Added Services, Financial Services and Mobile at the Pick n Pay Group.
Deven is a seasoned professional with 24 years of combined experience in Retail and Financial Services.
In 2022, he joined Pick n Pay, leaving BNP Paribas Personal Finance, to lead VAS—one of the retailer's vital growth engines—across South Africa and African territories. Deven's expertise in International Cards and Payments, backed by an expert qualification from the Lafferty Group, adds a unique perspective to his leadership. With a background in Architecture, Deven's problem-solving skills amplify his strategic vision. Deven also represents South African Retail on the VISA Inc CEMEA Merchant Advisory Council.
Pick n Pay, the second-largest grocery retailer in South Africa, operates through various formats, including Supermarkets, Hypermarkets, Clothing & Liquor stores, across 8 African countries. VAS significantly contributes to the Group's PBT and other income, with a wide network of partners offering diverse services, especially in banking, financial services, bill payments, mobile, social grant services, event ticketing, travel, sports betting and more.

Djuri always had a passion for open source and new technology. In 2016 he founded the “blockchain & crypto” team at Rabobank -one of the largest Dutch banks- where he quickly learned that the only real use case for a blockchain is Bitcoin.

After trying to educate the organization to no avail for eight years, he decided to go full time bitcoin by working at Satsback.com, Daedalus Labs and of course the open-source BTClock project.

Nostr: djuri@btclock.dev / npub1k5f85zx0xdskyayqpfpc0zq6n7vwqjuuxugkayk72fgynp34cs3qfcvqg2
Xitter: https://x.com/dsbaars

I am a Lightning Network protocol developer and long-term Btrust grantee from South Africa.

I am currently working on the Lightning Development Kit (LDK) and other projects in to Rust Bitcoin ecosystem.

https://dunxen.dev/nostr
https://dunxen.dev/bluesky
https://twitter.com/dunxen

Ellie is the Chair of the Witsand Ratepayers Association and a keen participant in Bitcoin Witsand, a fantastic Bitcoin circular economy.

Ellie and her husband are the owners of Ellie’s on Main, the first restaurant to accept Bitcoin in Witsand, as well as Nella se Winkel , a general dealer and fuel station also accepting Bitcoin in this tiny coastal village.

Her journey includes being an investment accountant, MBA alumnus, marketer and homeschooling mom. Currently she commutes to Sandton as Head of Business Development & Stakeholder Relations at Frusina Holdings.

She’s passionate about education, human flourishing and community development.

https://x.com/BitcoinWitsand

Emmanuel Mangalashi is a Bitcoin advocate from Zambia and the co-lead for Bitcoin Zambia. Through this initiative, he promotes Bitcoin awareness, education, and adoption. Emmanuel is dedicated to creating open platforms and resource hubs to empower Zambians with knowledge and tools to participate in the global Bitcoin economy.

https://x.com/mangalashi24

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Dr Ernst Roets is a lawyer, activist, author and documentary filmmaker. He serves as Head of Policy at the Solidarity Movement and Executive Director at the Afrikaner Foundation.

X: @ErnstRoets.
https://x.com/ErnstRoets

Felix Mukungu is founder of The Core, a Bitcoin education platform dedicated to creating Bitcoin awareness through education, content creation, and community building, in Nairobi Kenya. Additionally, he offers printing and branding services for Bitcoin projects under The Core Arts & Design.

https://x.com/MukunguFelix

https://x.com/thecore21m

Frank Corva is the business and political correspondent for Bitcoin Magazine as well as a contributor to Forbes Digital Assets, where he documents Bitcoin adoption around the globe. He also used to host the new renaissance capital podcast, which was focused primarily on Bitcoin adoption in circular economies and amongst activists. Frank has lived on five different continents, and before finding Bitcoin he taught English (with a focus on writing) to immigrants in his hometown, New York City.

X: @frankcorva
Nostr: npub1dnzzyhmewrzkh862z7z2shwmhh5htx0rvkagepj2fkgst9ptwg3qj4x52h

fusion44 is a software developer working on the RaspiBlitz project.

https://twitter.com/@fusion44

Bongani is a Grade 10 learner at Indwe High School in Mossel Bay. He is 15 years old and joined The Surfer Kids in May 2019, initially participating in the daily surf program alongside all the other children, until October 2021. He then transitioned to attending classes at the Ekasi Center where he now plays a key role in maintaining the centre and assisting the teacher with technical support. His dedication to the community and his passion for learning are evident in his day-to-day contributions. In October 2023, Bongani completed The Bitcoin Standard, by Saifedean Ammous and he is currently studying Why Buy Bitcoin, by Andy Edstrom, under the mentorship of Jason Branscum. They meet regularly via Google Meet, where Jason helps Bongani deepen his understanding of Bitcoin and its broader implications.

Grant Gombwa is a Bitcoin advocate from Malawi and the Co- Executive Director of Bitcoin Boma. He’s also worked for The Core Bitcoin education platform founded by Felix Mukungu as a program manager.

Bitcoin Boma Coalition is an open platform, resources center, A hub for Malawian Bitcoiners and anyone interested in learning more about Bitcoin in Malawi as part of decentralized economic approach for an open and free market in Malawi.

Twitter/X is
@GrantGombwa3
@BitcoinBoma.

Helen Zille is the Chairperson of the Federal Council of the Democratic Alliance. She started her career in journalism and ran a public policy consultancy before entering politics in 1999. Zille has been a Member of Parliament, the MEC for Education in the Western Cape, the Mayor of Cape Town and the Premier of the Western Cape. She was elected to her current position in 2019.

Hermann Vivier is the co-founder of The Surfer Kids (est. 2010) and founder of Bitcoin Ekasi (est. 2021). Hermann first became interested in Bitcoin in late 2013 as a result of the banking crisis and subsequent bank bailouts in Cyprus. In May 2015 he and his wife adopted Bitcoin as a form of payment. They operate a South African tourism business (Unravel Surf Travel) catering for the Eastern European and Russian markets, and the first Russian-Ukrainian conflict meant that Bitcoin was (in certain cases) the only form of payment available to receive money from their clients. Following the global covid lockdowns and the resulting slump in their tourism business they started looking for ways to become more active in the Bitcoin space. Hermann came across the Bitcoin Beach project in El Salvador in 2019 and started writing for Bitcoin Magazine in January 2021, two events which eventually led to the creation of Bitcoin Ekasi in August 2021.

Co-founder of Bitcoin Victoria Falls. Born and raised in Zambia with a background in nuclear engineering. Believes Bitcoin is the great equaliser that will create a fairer, better world.

https://x.com/BitcoinVicFalls

Nostr:
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Ian has lived in Malawi for the past ten years, where he founded a company to help startups and small businesses strengthen their financial management and raise capital. He has been an advocate for bitcoin adoption in the country since 2014 and co-founded Bitcoin Boma in an effort to influence policy and support grassroots adoption and education.

Ian is also the creator of EconoKidz.com, an animated course for kids introducing them to crucial economic concepts, money and, of course, Bitcoin.

My X is https://x.com/Ianfost

Bitcoin Boma’s X is https://x.com/BitcoinBoma

Janet Maingi Gridless Co Founder and COO .In 2022 Janet Maingi together with other two entrepreneurs Erik Hersman and Philip Walton launched Gridless, a company focusing on off-grid Bitcoin mining in Africa. The company intends to bring new energy generation to rural communities in Africa. It works with renewable, rural, mini-grid energy generators to monetize the full capacity of their output as a buyer of last resort, as well as serving as an anchor tenant for new energy generation creation, enabling energy development companies to secure financing for new projects as well as catalyze electrification of rural Africa.

https://x.com/nduku_jay

Jason’s Bio

Jason is a world-traveling minimalism-adhering startup-entreprenuer & excessive-hyphen-user.
Plus a bitcoin-cultist.
He has had the great fortune to travel to all 7 continents and over 140 countries as a digital
nomad, long before the term entered the zeitgeist. And he’s done it all while simultaneously
co-founding multiple startups and notching 2 successful exits on his belt.
Jason emerged from a self-induced retirement in 2024 to help co-found Tando – an app that
aims to hyper-bitcoinize Africa, starting in Kenya, by making bitcoin as easy to spend as mobile
money, proving to the haters that Bitcoin is more than just a great Store of Value!

Jason’s Social’s
X: https://x.com/tando_me
Nostr: npub1tand04svfdhrt7lhg6687fh0y2xvxfpr9nkkj27rqfrxfpeklldsp48sax
Web: https://tando.me/

Jesse is an accomplished professional with a background in energy economics, having garnered extensive experience in the field through his tenure with a small off-grid utility company in Mali, West Africa. Transitioning his expertise, Jesse embarked on a dynamic career trajectory in Bitcoin Mining, initially serving as a freelance consultant before establishing his own business, HashrateUp, in August 2023. Jesse further amplifies his impact through his podcast, previously featured on Swan Bitcoin's YouTube Channel, demonstrating a commitment to fostering widespread awareness of Bitcoin mining practices. Beyond content creation, Jesse actively facilitates growth within the industry by assisting stakeholders in navigating critical aspects such as energy procurement, hosting solutions, strategic partnerships, and ASIC acquisition. Notably, his advocacy extends to promoting the cultivation of mining operations across Africa, both on-grid and off-grid, underscoring his dedication to advancing the sector's global diversification. A new focus of HashrateUp is to educate Bitcoin Holders on how mining with small quantities can make sense and what details to look out for, while offering highly competitive pricing.

x.com/hashrateup
x.com/jesse_hodl
https://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-pielke/

John Paul Jones graduated in Economics from Cambridge University in 1990. He did further post graduate degrees in Philosophy at Cambridge and the Sorbonne Paris IV. Not cut out for corporate life he focused on writing for 10 years in Paris, producing work for both stage and screen. In Cape Town he founded Wiggle Car Hire in 2010 which has grown into a broader lifestyle brand which forays into many creative avenues of Cape Town life. A bitcoiner since 2017 he has experience trying to integrate it into payments as well as corporate balance sheets and other business applications.

Josef is a bitcoiner with a passion for bitcoin education. Josef currently leads the Trezor Academy, a non-profit educational initiative with the goal to bring Bitcoin awareness to places where it is needed the most. Author of Bitcoin: Separation of Money and State.

https://x.com/JosefTetek
primal.net/p/npub1llkvd2zh596r437k5guqqpvktn0jtz4tasn3zfqnjuktue33wagqm2ftee

Josie is the Co-Founder of 2140, an Amsterdam based Bitcoin development non-profit. He also works as a Bitcoin Core contributor, with a focus on developer productivity and privacy. Outside of Bitcoin Core, he spends the majority of his time working on privacy/usability protocols, such as BIP352 (Silent payments).

Links

https://twitter.com/josibake

Kemal is a graduate of the Geschwister-Scholl Institute for Political Science at the Ludwigs-Maximilan-University of Munich and the Director of Marketing at Blink, the Everyday Bitcoin Wallet as well as the co-organizer of the annual Adopting Bitcoin conference in El Salvador. The El Zonte-born Blink Wallet is built to be the bottom-up bitcoin adoption weapon for communities around the world to make bitcoin payments accessible and secure for the masses. He is also the founder of the Istanbul Bitcoin Meetup and the Yirmibir Bitcoin Community, developing Bitcoin educational resources in Turkish language. Previously, Kemal was the Director of Marketing at Galoy, developing the open source bitcoin banking infrastructure that powers Blink.

https://x.com/_pretyflaco

Kgothatso Ngako, is a catalyst aiming to accelerate the adoption of Bitcoin across the African continent. He has founded both exonumia.africa, project translating Bitcoin literature into African languages, and machankura.com, service that allows people to send and receive Bitcoin even without an internet connected device, through USSD and other text based interfaces.

https://x.com/440UrPp
https://x.com/Machankura8333

Dr. Khushboo Khullar (PhD in Economics - Energy Security) is a Venture Partner and Head of Portfolio Success at Lightning Ventures. Lightning Ventures(USA) is a Venture Capital fund that has invested in 40+ Bitcoin and FOSS startups till date through its Node 1 fund and syndicate.

Kudzai is a passionate Bitcoin educator, entrepreneur and financial inclusion advocate. A marketing dynamo for Bitcoin FilmFest, and regular Bitcoin Magazine contributor, Kudzai's passion for financial inclusion shines through his work with Looking Glass Education.

Twitter/ X: @kudzaikutukwa
Nostr:
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Leon is the founder and CEO of Cape Crypto, a proudly South African exchange launched in November 2020. With over 15 years of experience in software engineering and product management, Leon’s journey with Bitcoin began in 2012, fueling his vision for freedom by liberating South Africans from financial tyranny. After honing his skills in product management at various startups across the world, most recently in Sydney and later at globalist-sell-out Luno in Cape Town, Leon founded Cape Crypto to simplify Bitcoin access for every South African, particularly the under-banked, by offering voucher and bank on-ramps, a no-frills no-fuss app, and uniquely, a Bitcoin-only mode, plus BTC Lightning — still the only South African exchange to do so.

X: @capecryptoSA

Lorraine Marcel is a Financial activist and Bitcoin advocate with over six years of dedicated experience in East Africa's tech ecosystem. As the founder of Bitcoin Dada and Dada Devs, Marcel has been at the forefront of promoting financial empowerment, especially among African women. Through Bitcoin Dada, she spearheads initiatives to provide tech resources, education, and opportunities, enabling women across the continent to leverage blockchain technology and bitcoin.

Marcel’s influence extends beyond regional borders; she has spoken at international conferences, highlighting the importance of financial empowerment on a global stage. She is a prominent host of fintech events, fostering collaboration, networking, and knowledge-sharing among industry leaders and enthusiasts.

Her work also includes partnering with universities and fintech companies to advance financial education and drive innovation across Africa. Notable achievements under her leadership include expanding Bitcoin Dada’s presence to 11 African countries in the past two years and receiving recognition from prestigious media platforms such as Forbes and CoinDesk.

She is committed to creating opportunities for underrepresented communities and looks forward to exploring collaborations that drive positive change.

Social media Links
Twitter: https://x.com/marcelorraine

Luthando Ndabambi began his tenure with The Surfer Kids in May 2019, initially serving as a surf coach. In August 2021, he embarked on his journey into the world of Bitcoin, dedicating himself to understanding Bitcoin and facilitating its adoption within his community. He actively engaged in onboarding local shops in his township to accept Bitcoin as a form of payment. Today, Luthando serves as the Project Community Lead for The Surfer Kids and Bitcoin Ekasi, where he continues driving innovation and community engagement.

https://x.com/LuthandoSABTC

Kweks is the founder of Proof of Work Academy, a Bitcoin education project based in Arusha, Tanzania, that empowers individuals with the knowledge and tools to leverage Bitcoin for personal and community growth. Additionally, he’s the founder of Bitcoin Arusha, an initiative aimed at fostering a Bitcoin circular economy by encouraging grassroots adoption and building local ecosystems.

As an artist, he creates music inspired by Bitcoin and Nostr, celebrating the transformative power of these technologies. His work as an advisor at Conscious Music Group further amplifies these efforts, helping musicians from underrepresented communities embrace Bitcoin and freedom technologies to distribute their art through value-for-value platforms.

Socials:
Twitter/X: @manlikekweks
Nostr: npub1fnn2h0tgm2mwnl0kar5ez25wztum2w0q0rrrf326n0ljn999znwsqf4xnx

Mawufemor Kofi Folivi is the Managing Director of Talent Foundation and the founder of Bitcoin Dua. He leads the organization’s social development efforts in Agbozume, Ghana.

He is actively involved in driving STEM education in schools within the district and leads financial literacy and empowerment initiatives centred around digital skills development among the youth utilising Bitcoin as a tool for progress.

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/MawufemorFoli

Megasley is a Nigerian Bitcoin enthusiast, Lightning node runner, and tech entrepreneur dedicated to driving Lightning Network adoption across Africa. Renowned for setting up Nigeria’s first active Lightning node, Megasley actively manages Lightning infrastructure and leads Africa Free Routing. Through webinars, workshops, and Lightning Developer Bootcamps, he empowers businesses and individuals to embrace Bitcoin and Lightning Network payments. As General Manager at Africa Free Routing, he remains committed to building a more connected and financially inclusive Africa.

https://x.com/megasley

Melody is a British-Nigerian tech investor. After training as an Economist at the London School of Economics, she started her career as an investment banker in J.P. Morgan’s London office, working on M&A for financial institutions. She is now an investor at P1 Ventures, a pan-African early stage tech investor.

Bitcoin educator, Trezor academy local organizer and SowetoBtc founder. Born and raised in the dusty streets of Soweto, one of the biggest townships in South Africa.

Michael, founded SowetoBtc as a non-profit initiative to facilitate Bitcoin only education and mentorship program that aims to provide Bitcoin financial education to underprevilaged South African youth.

His passion for Bitcoin only education, comes from an understanding that most of the current socio-economic challenges faced by underprevilaged South African communities, emanates from central banks mismanaged monetary policies that creates massive debt and currency devaluation, and Bitcoin plays a pivotal role in offering and alternative to the broken fiat system.

Michael Rathebe

Director
SowetoBtc
michael@sowetobtc.com

Twitter/X: @SowetoBtc https://x.com/SowetoBtc?s=09
Nostr: @SowetoBtc https://primal.net/p/npub16v6zr28ae067lmjf9vfnk2ckawjdclnna4frqfzy2yavz6htg6nqyq8jef

Modibe is the Africa Community Master for Fedi. Modibe worked with different communities around the continent to educate and empower communities with Bitcoin use cases such as remittance, cross-border payments, and entrepreneurship among others. Modibe has appeared in various media houses to promote and educate people on best practices to access and use Bitcoin, and led campus tours, meet-ups, and public talks. He has worked with leading P2P marketplaces like Paxful and Noones to accelerate adoption in Africa.
Modibe’s mission is to unite communities through correct onboarding to the Bitcoin economy via education and day-to-day Bitcoin use cases. In addition to working on bitcoin, Modibe is an MBA student with Stellenbosch Business School.

Mzwanele Manyi has a background in economic geology, is a Harvard alumnus and a former Director General in the South African National Government. He has held senior executive positions in blue chip listed entities and multinational companies for decades. His corporate experience includes: Mining & Exploration Geology, Auto-sector, Banking, ICT and FMCG.

He is a Member of Parliament, and Chief Whip of the Leader of Opposition, uMkhonto WeSizwe (MK). He gained attention for his leadership of the Black Management Forum (BMF), where he advocated for the advancement of black professionals in South Africa's corporate sector.

Manyi was active in the African National Congress (ANC) and later the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), before joining the newly formed uMkhonto WeSizwe Party in 2024.

In December 2024 he signalled his support for an MK Party proposal, for South Africa to adopt Bitcoin as a Strategic Reserve Asset.

@MzwaneleManyi
https://x.com/MzwaneleManyi

Naomi Wambui is the founder of Bitcoin Babies, an initiative inspired by her personal journey into motherhood and her belief in Bitcoin’s potential to empower mothers to foster financial independence and stimulate growth for themselves and their communities. She also believes that women are essential catalysts for building circular economies, particularly in developing countries, where they significantly contribute to local economic activity.

My Twitter @Ngachanaomi1

Nathan is a tech entrepreneur with 25-years experience in building companies. He finally grokked Bitcoin in 2021 and has been obsessed ever since. He co-founded BTC Map, Gamertron (an 8-bit lightning video game business with his son) and also delivers Bitcoin education workshop for kids.

https://x.com/nathan_day

(https://x.com/BTCMap)

nostr: nathan@btcmap.org
Npub1cn670f663n3ks02jnnlsvd5y88zjnefy8343ykaxs7y3nzzketrsrjwt8a

Join Nick for an exploration of Meaning, Bitcoin, Jiu jutsu and The Nakamoto Consensus. In this presentation he explores how Bitcoin, Writing, and Personal Growth are related. Nick will speak to the archetype of the Adventurer, the Sage and the Warrior as he shares his experiences writing Bitcoin's first adventure textbook.

The Nakamoto Consensus- Reacher meets Bond meets Bitcoin.

Nicholas Nell is a father, author, healthcare practitioner, strength coach, martial artist and Bitcoiner. Nick uses his deep skills in facilitating healing, fostering care and inspiring people to be better humans. These skills span acupuncture, herbal and homoeopathic care, kettlebell, aikido, Katori Shinto Ryu, Goju Ryu, Jiu Jitsu, olympic lifting, trail running, parenting, and Bitcoin. He uses an overarching philosophy derived from this proof of work, to help people discover greater aliveness and vitality. He thrives on using his ongoing investigation into life and meaning to help people find the wisdom that is sometimes missed in the profusion of information.

Twitter: @monk_felonius
Nostr: hodlpoet@nostrplebs.com
Website: Nakamotoconsensus.io

OKIN (Nikolai Tjongarero, MBA) is a dedicated Bitcoin-only Maximalist, digital entrepreneur, published poet, and insightful social commentator hailing from Windhoek, Namibia.
He made history by hosting Africa's first podcast, #FromTheJump, to embrace Bitcoin payments through the Podcasting 2.0 protocol (Value4Value) & serves as the Chief Bitcoin Officer at EasySats and Bitcoin Mining Namibia, leading initiatives that champion Bitcoin adoption and education.

His speaking engagements include notable events such as the launch of Machankura in Kenya (2023), the Adopting Bitcoin conference in Cape Town (2024), Adulting 102 Financial Literacy and hosting pioneering events like the 1st Trezor Academy Namibia Educational Session and the inaugural Bitcoin Only Media Training Event (2024).

OKIN was selected as one of nine individuals from over 500 worldwide entries to join the tech team at Start9, a global leader in Sovereign Computing development. His insights have been sought after worldwide, leading to interviews by various podcasters from Hong Kong to New York, including the distinguished Adam Curry, considered the grandfather of podcasting.

Twitter: https://x.com/OKIN_17
Nostr: npub1n0arukddjfs69cztsqy2qcsllqpzsk3748ccz40p9jrsagsl4hqsv3gvx5 / okin@nostrplebs.com
LinkdIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/okin/

Nomsa Williams is an Educator and a team member at Bitcoin Ekasi and The Surfer Kids Organisation, where she teaches community members, including children from local schools, about Bitcoin.

She holds a Primary Schools’ Teachers' Degree from the University of Fort Hare, specializing in Mathematics, Languages, and Life Skills and has 10 years teaching experience, primarily focused on early childhood education.

As part of her work with Bitcoin Ekasi she teaches a Diploma curriculum developed by My First Bitcoin — focused on financial education for the Bitcoin era. This training has provided her with valuable insights into financial management and a deeper understanding of the educational aspects of Bitcoin as a digital currency.

https://x.com/Rotso16Rotso

Openoms is a Lightning Network researcher and a strong advocate for privacy, as well as using your own full node to interact with the Bitcoin Network. He is contributing to various FOSS Bitcoin projects, most notably the Blink (ex Bitcoin Beach) Wallet and the Raspiblitz Full Bitcoin and Lightning package. Find him for any practical advice about using Bitcoin.

Pedri Oosthuizen is the CTO of Swordfish Software, a leading fintech company in South Africa. With nearly two decades of experience in the tech industry, Pedri has built his career immersed in coding and technology, focusing on distinguishing between technologies that will truly change the world for the better and the fads and buzzwords used to trick people out of their money. He has been following Bitcoin since its early days and believes that many of today’s modern challenges can be solved through coding, as Bitcoin has clearly proven, rather than waiting on politicians to bring about change.

https://x.com/pedrioosthuizen

Ricki (Roderick) Allardice, is a scientist, entrepreneur and Bitcoin evangelist from Cape Town, South Africa. He has a diverse professional history, including the biological sciences where he conducted research and development on soil and plant health products; asset and wealth management and the fin-tech startup space.

For the past 4 years he has been focussed on Bitcoin only startups, primarily building products and solutions which make self custody simpler and more attainable for the average user.

Ricki also hosts a South African focussed Bitcoin podcast called “By The Horns”, which brings you stories of home grown Bitcoincoiners that are building Bitcoin businesses and community projects in SA.

Ricki is currently working on his own consulting service called Bitcoin Only, which assists individuals, businesses and trusts in their respective Bitcoin strategies, distributes sovereignty promoting hardware and Bitcoin key management for the long term. He is also a founding director of Orange, a Lightning services company which is currently in Stealth mode.

Twitter: @BitcoinOnlyZA
Nostr: npub1aj9k43cmuqdh23un8f25nzdudpep9vaeumte5v7ran7f697y7dgswjw6h3
Website: www.bitcoinonly.io

Ronnie Mdawida is the Co-Founder of the Afribit Kibera project, where he leads the vision implementation, strategy, and expansion of the Kibera Bitcoin circular economy. With a background in Sociology and Community Development, Ronnie is passionate about leveraging Bitcoin to drive financial sovereignty, particularly in regions with limited access to traditional financial systems.
In addition to his work with Afribit Kibera, Ronnie oversees The Ronnie Fund's projects and consults for Spatial Collective, where he focuses on community engagement across East Africa. His approach combines social entrepreneurship with technology to create sustainable employment, expand access to education, and promote financial inclusion. Through the adoption of Bitcoin and the development of Bitcoin circular economies, Ronnie strives to empower underserved communities and support their path to economic self-sufficiency.

https://x.com/AfribitKibera

/rootzoll is the creator and maintainer of RaspiBlitz, an open-source project that enables users to run a Bitcoin and Lightning Network full node on a Raspberry Pi, Proxmox or an old laptop.

With a strong commitment to decentralization and financial sovereignty, he has been instrumental in making it accessible for individuals to operate their own nodes from home and coined the phrase "Not your node, Not your rules.“

https://x.com/rootzoll

BIO:
Ex-institutional energy Software Sales.
Lightning. Adventure. ₿itcoin. Moto. Venture. Startups.

SM:
X: sterling_ry
Primal: sterlingsats

Sabina Waithira is the co-founder of Tando. Her journey into the Bitcoin space began as the
Content Manager for Bitcoin Dada, an initiative focused on educating African women about
Bitcoin. Through her work at Bitcoin Dada, Sabina gained valuable insights into the Bitcoin
ecosystem, which led her to participate in the 2023 Africa Bitcoin Conference Hackathon as part
of the team Splice. Splice, which won second place, provides payment infrastructure for
financial institutions and fintechs across Africa to execute real-time cross-border payments.
Inspired by the experience at Splice, Sabina co-founded Tando, where she now focuses on
revolutionizing Bitcoin’s use as a medium of exchange. With a deep passion for payment
solutions and empowering communities through Bitcoin in Africa, she continues to push
boundaries in the space.

Sabina’s Social’s
X: https://x.com/waithiraah
Nostr: npub1ykgzky9fffy5hgl76jfay9ywy5y9j3hmzljxau9sq2z2unmsxn2qpgxf8j
Web: https://tando.me/

Sharon is the Communications Officer at Btrust, a non-profit with a mission to decentralize the development of Bitcoin software.

LinkedIn: Sharon Murugi
X: @Murugi___
Btrust Website: btrust.tech

Stafford Masie has 30 Years of IT Industry Experience with an extensive career in the IT and digital innovation sectors, including leadership roles at global companies like Google, WeWork, Novell, and Dimension Data.
He worked as a Global Corporate Technology Strategist at Novell's HQ in Utah, USA for 7 years and is a former Google South Africa Country Manager, leading Google’s initiatives in South Africa, playing a key role in the introduction of new technologies and services across the region, and started Google's Africa presence and founded Google South Africa.
Stafford also developed a revolutionary mobile payment company and solution, the thumbzup Payment Pebble, empowering small and medium-sized businesses in South Africa, and went on to launch it globally.
He is a technology angel investor in several leading pre-seed startups, serves on the board of Discovery Bank, is chairman of the board at Altvest Capital, Chairman of the Wits University & Telkom Innovation Lab, and Guest (MBA) lecturer at GIBS, UJ School of Business, and Henley.

Bitrefill is a platform that allows you to refill your life with various products and services using Bitcoin. You can choose from categories such as ecommerce, travel, streaming, games, food, and more, and enjoy discounts and cashback with Bitrefill account.

X.com: @bitrefill

Thulisa Sikolpati (28) is building a circular Economy in Khayelitsha called Bitcoin Loxion, modelled after projects like Bitcoin Ekasi and Bitcoin Beach. She was born and raised in Khayelitsha, a township in the Western Cape of South Africa, on the Cape Flats in the City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality. The name Khayelitsha is Xhosa for New Home. It is reputed to be one of the largest and fastest-growing townships in South Africa.

Twitter: @BitcoinLoxion.

An artist from Seattle. Employed as a freelance consultant managing software development projects. Went through the looking glass while Satoshi was conversant on Bitcointalk. Estudiante de Español. Practitioner of yoga, still rings, and meditation. Burner. Watercolorist. Enjoooyer of SF novels and romantic realism. Competent cook. Swing dancer. Had a long corporate career, have lately been making the most of the self-sovereignty that Bitcoin has afforded me by painting pictures from travels, and working on an audacious project to create a rock opera monumentalizing the origin of Satoshi as a romantic hero's journey.

X: @tj_de_la_playa.