Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town 2026

Advaxe Ndayisenga is a Burundian entrepreneur and Bitcoin educator, passionate about financial inclusion and digital empowerment in Africa. He is the founder of MySatoshis, a platform that combines a non-custodial Bitcoin wallet with mobile money integration and multilingual education to make Bitcoin accessible to underserved communities in East Africa. Through grassroots efforts, hybrid learning, and open-source tools, Advaxe works to bridge the gap between local realities and global innovation.

Minimalist, Surfer, Voluntarist, Bitcoiner. Privacy is a right, Sovereignty is responsibility. A stateless society based on principles of self-ownership and non-aggression is possible. Every man (and woman) deserve Freedom, but it is not free.

Anita is a Change Maker and Freedom Tech advocate, renowned Bitcoin educator, author, founder of the online academy Crack the Orange as well as founder of Bitcoin for Fairness, a non-profit initiative that has a strong focus on Bitcoin adoption in the Global South through education, knowledge sharing and capacity building on the ground.

Anita's focus is on promoting Freedom Tech like Bitcoin and Nostr, which empower individuals and the civil society in achieving financial freedom, digital privacy, self-sovereignty and protection from governmental and corporate surveillance.

Anna is the CEO of Hodl Hodl and has nearly a decade of experience building freedom-focused technology. Anna specializes in peer-to-peer and self-custodial approaches to Bitcoin for individual and institutional usage.

Hodl Hodl offers anonymous, non-custodial P2P exchange and lending services, and has grown into one of the leading global P2P platforms for Bitcoin. Today the company is actively expanding and scaling its user base across Africa.

https://x.com/annahhodl
primal.net/anna

Ashley Cleveland is a Global Strategist, economist, and founder of Africa-focused investment and relocation platforms that have supported over 100 diaspora families and entrepreneurs building lives and businesses across the continent. Her work sits at the intersection of African political economy, diaspora capital, and sovereign relocation.
She has advised investors, partnered with legal and financial institutions across Southern and East Africa, and collaborated with Pan-African policy bodies focused on diaspora engagement and economic self-determination. While not a Bitcoin developer, her expertise lies in how money systems succeed or fail in the real world, particularly in post-colonial and emerging markets.
Ashley approaches Bitcoin through the lens of sovereignty, trust, and lived adoption, asking not whether Bitcoin works in theory, but why it may be necessary in practice for Africa’s economic future.

Belyï Nobel Kubwayo
Founder, BTC Shule | Burundi

Belyï is a Burundian Bitcoiner, economist, and social entrepreneur. He leads BTC Shule, a rural Bitcoin initiative that combines education, circular economy, and sustainable development in Burundi. A Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP), he also holds credentials from Saylor Academy and Bitcoin For Fairness. Belyï is passionate about financial sovereignty and is currently writing a book on Bitcoin’s impact in Africa.

X: @belyi_nobel
Nostr: npub1t3vw7pz8l546p2jrsttxku6g4g4h4ur2k7049ar74cvu5kjnmqcs5hdlv0

Anarchist since the 1990s; Bitcoiner since 2010; currently CTO of Musqet Limited, focused on bringing Bitcoin as a medium of exchange to the masses.

Beverley Schäfer is a B2G public affairs consultant, and brand partner in a cutting-edge, frequency-based wearable technology that restores health at a cellular level without pharmaceuticals.
Through her consultancy Strat Diplomacy Advisors, her work as a regenerative health brand partner, and her sharp-shooting podcast Sovereign Systems for a Changing World, as a voice for those who feel there’s more—more to health, more to power, more to this reality.
Beverley is the Hon Consul for Mexico and serves on the Advisory Boards of CAASA and the South African Artificial Intelligence Association (SAAIA), and speaks widely on the future of our sovereignty, our wellness, and the future of leadership.
“In a world where disruption is permanent, I help people expand their perception, seeing not only what’s happening, but the truth that needs to emerge.”
— Beverley Schäfer

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.

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 is a Bitcoin devotee, and humble servant of Lord Satoshi. He has dedicated his life to fixing the world by fixing its money. Leader of the money badgers, his mission is to serve the free and to free the enslaved. Carel started Luno, a well known South African Bitcoin exchange, as well as MoneyBadger, a Bitcoin payments provider, wiring up thousands of South African merchants to the Lightning network so you can live your life on the Bitcoin standard.

https://x.com/MoneyBadgerPay

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

https://x.com/ColeTU

Cole is a Bitcoin Security expert who helps people secure bitcoin for the long term

Corlia Nolte is the founder of SOVRN, an independent marketing and insights studio rooted in the principles of clarity, autonomy, and self-sovereignty.

She works at the intersection of marketing systems and data, helping individuals and businesses build structures that give them more independence in how they operate and make decisions.

She aims to inspire more people to create sovereign careers and support self-directed businesses where clarity replaces uncertainty and ownership replaces dependence.

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.

Cryptosquid is a self-taught tinkerer turned advocate for privacy, freedom and self-sovereignty.

At Start9, he works across tech support, and outreach making sovereign servers accessible to a wide audience and sharing his experience in meetups and stages worldwide.

X - https://x.com/The_Cryptosquid
Nostr - https://njump.me/nprofile1qy88wumn8ghj7mn0wvhxcmmv9uq3xamnwvaz7tmsw4e8qmr9wpskwtn9wvhsqg9dc5fhl8u85v7p7frpxj0uk7j6fcjme43s2p56x9uwjejtz4fxrys8gruf

Dan is the Circular Economy Manager for Bitcoin Babies. For the past year, he has been responsible for building and maintaining the local merchant network in our community. He connects the foundation’s social program with the local economy by ensuring that the mothers can spend their weekly donations at participating shops. Dan works directly with entrepreneurs—from supermarkets to service providers—guiding them on how to accept payments and helping them understand how bitcoin allows them to retain the value of their hard work.

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, free enterprise, and sound money.

Speaker Bio – Destiny Smart

Destiny Smart is the founder of Bitcoin Africa Story, a Bitcoin-only organization dedicated to advancing grassroots education and adoption across Africa. As an educator, writer, marketer, and brand strategist, he is committed to making Bitcoin accessible, practical, and relevant for everyday people.

With his skills and dedication, Destiny has collaborated with and contributed to several grassroots Bitcoin projects and organizations, including Blink Wallet, BitFitness, Bitcoin Kids, and more. He has showcased real-world Bitcoin use cases—ranging from onboarding merchants to running community-led initiatives such as the free 7-week Bitcoin Diploma, storytelling projects, and community-building efforts. His work emphasizes Bitcoin’s role in fostering financial inclusion, resilience, and innovation in underserved communities.

Beyond Bitcoin, Destiny explores how artificial intelligence can be harnessed for education, creative communication, adoption, and product development. His mission is to empower communities to embrace Bitcoin as a tool for sovereignty, empowerment, and progress.

Divan Myburgh is the co-founder of Swoop. He built his career in traditional finance, culminating in leading operations at a leading foreign exchange treasury banking intermediary. He has since drawn on that experience to launch Lightning rails for South African expats who need to bring funds home efficiently.

With specialist knowledge in international money transfers and cross-border payments, Divan understands where deals get stuck: Exchange Controls, due process, and compliance. In practice, these are often the difference between a smooth settlement and a stalled transaction. His operational grounding means clients get clear guidance, clean execution, and fewer surprises when moving funds.

Divan is passionate about Bitcoin and self-custody and facilitates brokerage rails in addition to international money transfers. Through efficient use of the Lightning Network, Swoop enables expats to repatriate funds to South Africa at superb exchange rates, with extremely fast settlement, clear pricing, and a process that stays compliant and straightforward.

btc2zar.myswoop.co.za

Dr. Laban Mwansa is Business Development Associate – Africa Region at Braiins, where he works on advancing Bitcoin adoption, mining infrastructure, and strategic partnerships across emerging markets in Africa. Prior to joining Braiins, he consulted with financial institutions on establishing Project Management Offices (PMOs) and aligning projects and programs with organizational strategy. He is a co-founder of Betaways Innovation Systems, where he led consulting engagements and corporate training in industry best practices, including Agile project management. He previously served as Head of Computer Engineering at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology in Cape Town and was also a PeopleCert Ambassador for ITIL and PRINCE2. With over a decade of experience across technology, portfolio and program management, and digital transformation, his work focuses on Bitcoin adoption, financial inclusion, and building resilient economic systems across Africa.

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

Emily is a freelance designer, digital nomad, and co-creator of Blockhunters – The Bitcoin Board Game. She loves bringing her creativity to purpose-driven projects that make Bitcoin more accessible. Guided by an inclusive, optimistic vision of the future, she believes Bitcoin education is one of the most powerful tools for expanding freedom around the world.

My social links:
X: @emH__
IG: @emilyelizabethughes
Nostr: @emily

Blockhunters: www.blockhuntersgame.com

Dr. Ernst Roets is Executive Director of Lex Libertas, a new initiative that seeks to promote autonomy and decentralised governance in South Africa. He is an activist, author and documentary filmmaker and the host of the Pioneer Podcast.

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

Eve joined the Bitcoin Babies ecosystem as a participating mother in our initial cohort. Now, she is Program Manager at Bitcoin Babies, responsible for curating the curriculum, coordinating guest speakers, and managing daily operations.

Fidel Otieno is the Founder of Bitika, a Bitcoin platform that makes it simple for the everyday Kenyan to buy bitcoin via M-Pesa in just 3 direct steps. A software engineer by training and a passionate Bitcoiner at heart, Fidel is dedicated to building tools that expand access to Bitcoin as a fair and open monetary network.

Driven by the belief that Bitcoin should be for everyone—not just the tech-savvy—he focuses on breaking down barriers to adoption through intuitive design and community engagement. Fidel is also an active advocate who enjoys “orange pilling” and sharing with newcomers the possibilities that Bitcoin unlocks for financial freedom and inclusion.

https://x.com/Fideltodayy

Gareth Grobler is a South African Bitcoin advocate with over a decade in the space. He co-founded one of Africa's earliest cryptocurrency platforms in 2012 and is now building Layerz Wallet - a beginner-friendly self-custodial wallet supporting Lightning, Liquid, Ark, Spark and emerging Bitcoin layers. Passionate about grassroots adoption and intuitive onboarding in emerging markets, Gareth is a husband, father, and dedicated kitesurfer committed to making Bitcoin accessible for everyday users across Africa.

Gavin Green is just a pleb who discovered Bitcoin in late 2021, and found the answers to questions that was bugging him for years.

A simple business owner his whole life. Father and husband.

Music, Art, Reading, Sport & Tech - those things put a smile on his face.

He currently organises a local bitcoin meetup and run a podcast called The Straight, No Chaser show.

Links:
X: https://x.com/gavingre
Nostr: primal.net/GavinBGreen

Hermann Buhr Vivier is the founder of Bitcoin Ekasi, est. 2021. Bitcoin Ekasi is a Bitcoin circular economy project based in Mossel Bay, South Africa. The project is inspired by Bitcoin Beach (El Salvador) and utilizes The Surfer Kids, a social development & youth empowerment non-profit that Hermann co-founded in 2010, as a community platform.

Hermann’s involvement with Bitcoin dates back to late 2013 when he stumbled across an early print copy of Bitcoin Magazine.

Later, in 2015, an international tourism business he co-owns with his wife was separated from its client base due to financial sanctions. Bitcoin became a way to receive payments, bypassing sanctions and saving their business. This experience triggered a deep interest in Bitcoin as a solution to immediate problems, related specifically to its use as an uncensorable medium of exchange.

Bitcoin educator and B4H cofounder, writer of Bitcoin Circular Economies book. Being in Bitcoin ecosystem since 2017, educating about Bitcoin and financial freedom.

Jesse is an energy economist with hands-on experience in power systems, having worked with a small off-grid utility company in Mali, West Africa. This role gave him practical insight into energy generation, infrastructure constraints, and the economic realities of remote power markets. He later transitioned into the Bitcoin mining industry, first as an independent consultant and, in August 2023, as the founder of HashrateUp.

Through HashrateUp, Jesse advises clients on energy procurement, hosting solutions, ASIC sourcing, and strategic partnerships. He works with both retail and institutional participants to help them navigate the technical and financial complexities of Bitcoin mining. Jesse also runs a growing YouTube channel focused on interviewing industry experts and creating short, practical content that explains the fundamentals of Bitcoin mining in a simple and accessible way.

A core focus of HashrateUp is helping everyday Bitcoin holders understand how small-scale mining can be practical and economically sensible when approached correctly. To make access to hardware easier, Jesse launched MinerExchange.co.za, an online platform that enables individuals and businesses to purchase ASIC miners at competitive prices.

Jesse is a strong advocate for the expansion of Bitcoin mining across Africa, both on-grid and off-grid, and believes mining can play a meaningful role in energy monetization, infrastructure development, and the global decentralization of the Bitcoin network.

x.com/hashrateup
x.com/jesse_hodl
www.hashrateup.com
www.minerexchange.co.zahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/jesse-pielke/

Jodom Konuko (okjodom) is the CEO and co-founder of Minmo, a company on a mission to build tools that empower community leaders and human agents to professionalize their services in providing access to Bitcoin in communities.

In addition to his roles at Minmo, he is also a founding member of Bitsacco Community, and co-organizer of BitDevs Nairobi community.

Previously, he has been a core contributor to the Fedimint Protocol, where he built early integrations between the protocol and Lightning Network.

Jodom is passionate about using technology to empower individuals and communities. Outside of Bitcoin and Open source, you’ll probably find him biking, running, or hiking.

John Endres holds an MBA and a PhD in commerce and economics from a leading German
business school, as well as a Master’s degree in translation studies from the University of the
Witwatersrand. John has extensive work experience in business, policy research and project
management. He is the CEO of the IRR and the director of the Centre for Risk Analysis. The
IRR is a public policy think tank established in 1929 to promote human rights in South Africa.
The Centre for Risk Analysis was established in 2010 and advises on global and South African
political, economic, social, and policy risk. John has authored a book on change management in
cities and presents the CRA’s ‘Risk Alert’ – a written and audio note – every Monday morning at
7am.
John Endres
Chief Executive
Email: john.endres@irr.org.za

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.

Ola Bitcoin Founder - olabitcoin.org

I was born and raised in Mexico and moved to the USA to study Computer Science. There, I met my wife, a proud Motswana who always dreamed of returning home.

I went on to complete my Master’s in Finance while working full time After over a decade as a Financial and Business Analyst working in corporate America, we moved to Botswana. We fell in love with this beautiful country and are grateful to raise our boys here.

My journey into Bitcoin began in 2017, and since then, I have never looked back. Bitcoin has given me the opportunity to become a digital nomad, allowing me to spend more time with my family. For that, I will always be eternally grateful to Satoshi Nakamoto. Through Ola Bitcoin, I am passionate about promoting free Bitcoin education and adoption, helping others discover the transformative potential and freedom of this revolutionary technology.

It is my firm belief that just as my individual sovereignty has increased since holding Bitcoin in self-custody, holding Bitcoin (BTC) as a corporation also increases sovereignty, as seen with MicroStrategy (MSTR) in the USA. On a nation-state level, this principle is exemplified by El Salvador. I dream of a day when countries adopt Bitcoin as a reserve currency and use Bitcoin for cross-border payments to increase trade and commerce.

Twitter/X* https://x.com/JoshVazzzzz

Judy Imasuen manages the Bitcoin Development Fund operations at the Human Rights Foundation. She works behind the scenes to support projects that improve Bitcoin’s accessibility, security, and impact across different communities.

Kgothatso Ngako is a catalyst aiming to accelerate the adoption of Bitcoin across the African continent. He is currently building out @Machankura8333 , which is a service giving people without an internet connected device the ability to send and receive Bitcoin.

Linda Wambui Kariuki is the Founder of Bitsavers Eduhub and Host at Trezor Academy Kenya, dedicated to empowering African youth through Bitcoin education, financial literacy, and self-sovereignty. She has developed an 18-session open-source curriculum that teaches fundamentals, dollar-cost averaging, and self-custody, reaching learners in over 20 countries with 62 graduates and more than 100 applicants in the latest cohort. Through campus events, circular economies, and merchant adoption programs, Linda demonstrates how Bitcoin can strengthen resilience in regions facing inflation and currency instability. Collaborating with civic organizations and global networks, she champions Bitcoin as a foundation for empowerment, prosperity, and lasting change.

Louis Nel is a full-stack developer, content creator, and bitcoin enthusiast from South Africa, with expertise in software engineering and fintech. He holds a BA from the University of South Africa and has worked in motoring, marketing, advertising, fintech, and sales industries.

Key Achievements:
Developed projects for bitcoin price tracking and arbitrage.
Explored bitcoin mining with surplus solar power in South Africa.
Authored blog content on bitcoin as a savings tool, outperforming traditional methods amid economic challenges.
Skilled in MongoDB, Angular and Nodejs, SEO, web design, and CMS like WordPress/Joomla.

Professional Focus:
Louis advocates for bitcoin adoption, emphasizing self-sovereignty and parallel institutions. His work contrasts crypto scams with bitcoin's transparency, drawing from personal experiences with regulatory advocacy and community education.

Interests:
Active on Twitter (@louisnel), he discusses South African issues like inflation hedging and youth empowerment through bitcoin. His honest, driven approach makes him a valuable contributor to tech dialogues.

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

Sovereign individual & freedom maximalist.
Discovered Bitcoin in 2018 and never looked back.
Sold my house, put everything into Bitcoin and moved halfway across the world to find more freedom. Continued to go deeper and deeper into the rabbit hole, and now on a mission to evangelize and spread the good news.
Currently writing a book on running Bitcoin nodes.

Organiser, Ops Manager, Social Media Manager, Volunteer Manager, Goodie Bag procurer - basically the jack-of-all-trade behind Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town and Adopting Bitcoin Africa.

Class of 2021. Came for the party, stayed for the revolution. Triathlete and BJJ practitioner.

Founder of Tri Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cape Town Monthly Meetup, Bitcoin Stellenbosch Monthly Meetup & Bitcoin Triathletes.

Melanie Carstens is a Bitcoin writer, media host, and public speaker exploring how Bitcoin, AI, and open digital systems shape the future of money and culture.
She hosts Bitcoin and Beyond and Stacks Pulse, writes HXMXN, and recently spoke at CryptoFest 2025 in Cape Town.
Melanie is a partner curator at Gamma for Bitcoin Ordinals, lead curator of the Leo Art Collective, and a long-standing community steward, serving three times in the Stacks DeGrants funding program.
She also hosts regular X Spaces that highlight builders, artists, and emerging projects across the Bitcoin and Stacks ecosystems.

Founder of SowetoBTC, a non-profit initiative dedicated to providing Bitcoin-only education to youth and businesses in Soweto, South Africa.
A dedicated Bitcoin educator, Trezor Academy local organizer, My First Bitcoin educator, and an active participant in the Federation of Bitcoin Circular Economies.
Michael's work is driven by his conviction that, many socio-economic challenges facing South African communities stem from mismanaged government monetary policies, and that Bitcoin offers a powerful alternative to this broken system.

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.

https://x.com/Modibe_

Founder of BitcoinFriendlySA

OKIN (Nikolai Tjongarero, MBA) is the Founder of OKIN.Ent under which he created the initiatives EasySats & BTC Mining Namibia.

He is known as a Published & Spoken Word Poet, Digital Entrepreneur, Bitcoin Builder, Educator, Miner & Node Runner, collectively a Digital Disruptor, who strongly believes in the unique possibilities Bitcoin use-cases can bring to Namibians & our fellow Africans at large.

He was named the 1st African Podcaster to be paid in BTC, continent-wide, Top 10 Most Impactful African Bitcoiner (Twice - 10th in 2023 & 8th in 2024) & is the innovator of the SovereignKey, a Bitcoin & FreedomTech “Swiss-Army Knife” that transforms a computer into your own personal, secure & private work station.

Co-Host for Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town 2025 & was most recently a Speaker at the 1st African Bitcoin Conference Diaspora edition in Boston, USA (2025), he was previously a Speaker at both the African Bitcoin Conference in Nairobi, Kenya (2024), at Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town, South Africa (2024) as well as being named the Keynote Speaker at the launch of Machankura in Nairobi, Kenya (2023).

He further hosted the 1st Trezor Academy Namibia Educational Session (2024) & the 1st Bitcoin Only Media Training Event (2024).

Nikolai is committed to hands-on Bitcoin education & building Freedom-Tech solutions for Namibians & the greater African continent.

A Bitcoin advocate with the primary goal of promoting widespread acceptance of Bitcoin at the grassroots level, with a particular emphasis on Africa.

Nombuyiselo Murage is the COO and co-founder of Minmo, a company dedicated to building tools that empower community leaders and human agents to professionalize their services in providing access to Bitcoin.

A Software Engineer by training, Nombuyiselo possesses extensive experience in diverse domains, including geospatial data analysis, data engineering, and, most recently, the Permissions & Security space at Microsoft.

Her journey into Bitcoin development was sparked by connections within the BitDevs Nairobi community and a personal commitment to financial freedom. Currently, Nombuyiselo is a key contributor to lightning development at Minmo and is part of the organizing team for the Africa edition of BTC++. She is actively expanding her contributions across other areas in Bitcoin development.

Retshepile a Bitcoin social entrepreneur from the West Side of Johannesburg.
He is a passionate Bitcoin advocate with a deep commitment to community building.
Through education, dignity, and economic self-determination, he works tirelessly to empower communities — one Satoshi at a time.

https://x.com/sisonkeBTC

Riccardo "fluffypony" Spagni is a pioneer of privacy-preserving technology and one of the crypto industry's most influential voices on financial privacy rights. A founding member of the Monero Core Team, he served as Lead Maintainer from Monero's inception until 2019, helping build what has become the world's leading privacy-focused cryptocurrency. He is the co-founder of Tari Labs, creator of the Tari protocol - a hybrid, programmable PoW blockchain that launched its mainnet in 2025, and aims to bring strong privacy guarantees to on-chain decentralized applications. A Bitcoin advocate since early 2011, Riccardo invented OpenAlias and co-created Yat, and holds 19 patents in blockchain and decentralized identity. He is widely regarded as a deeply technical thinker with an uncompromising stance on the right to personal privacy.

Ricki 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 is the CEO and co-founder of Orange, a Lightning services company which connects african currencies to the Lightning network to facilitate cross border payments at the speed of light.

He also runs 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.

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

Roark found bitcoin at block 715895 and never looked back. He is involved in supporting and leading many projects including https://bitbooks.com/ using his capital, financial and softare experience. He and his partners have a goal in 2026 to donate BitBooks to 1,000 local project organizers and companies accepting bitcoin in circular economies.

Robert Allen is a veteran financial professional (SchiffGold 2010-2014) and an early Bitcoin pioneer (class of 2014). He is the founder of Coincube.io and co-founder of Satlantis.io. Now based in Lagos, Nigeria, Robert leads Tirith.tech, a software firm with strong Nigerian engineering roots dedicated to building the infrastructure for the decentralized web. His work focuses on unlocking Bitcoin's potential for economic empowerment and accelerating tech development across Africa.

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

Russell Lamberti is Executive Director and Chief Economist at Sakeliga, an independent, non-profit business organisation in South Africa.

He leads economic strategy and policy analysis, advancing the group’s mission to restore economic order at scale amid harmful economic policies and state failure. He also heads Sakeliga’s premium funder relations and contributes to various executive functions.

Lamberti is a UCT School of Economics graduate with over 20 years of experience advising fund managers, professional investors, and corporate boards. He previously held economist and macro-strategy roles at Econometrix, ETM Analytics, and as founder of ETM Macro Advisors.

He co-authored When Money Destroys Nations in 2014, a book about Zimbabwe’s hyperinflation and economic collapse.

Enterprise software leader with deep expertise in fintech, payments, and Lightning. Leads IBEX’s global commercial strategy

Sabina Gitau is the Co-Founder of Tando, where she’s working to advance Bitcoin payment solutions across Africa starting here in Kenya. She’s passionate about financial freedom and sovereignty through Bitcoin, and is committed to helping African communities access the opportunities and independence that Bitcoin offers.

Lifelong Bitcoiner, born at block height 117523. Much more popular than her dad.

Satoshee was born and raised in Kaduna, Northern Nigeria, and studied Software Engineering in Ghana. Beginning his career as a frontend developer before moving into UI/UX and graphic design, he discovered Bitcoin through a friend and became deeply curious about its transformative potential for Africa.

Today, he is passionate about educating Africans on how Bitcoin addresses challenges such as inflation, financial exclusion, and cross-border payments. His work reflects this mission: at African Bitcoiners, he helps drive the creation of educational resources such as the Bitcoin for Beginners course, the African Bitcoin Ecosystem Infographic, the Bitcoin Starter Book, the Mining Report, and interactive tools like the Inflation Simulator and Bitcoin Savings Calculator. He also organizes a monthly Bitcoin awareness meetup in his community.

Through Africa Free Routing, he helps train the next generation of Bitcoin developers via Lightning Development Bootcamps (already hosted in five African cities), and drives merchant adoption through the Africa Bitcoin Retail Initiative. Recently, he led the organization of the first-ever Bitcoin Summit in Northern Nigeria.

In addition, he mentors women in hackathons across Nigeria—particularly from Northern Nigeria—helping them learn about Bitcoin and use design to bring their solutions to life.

His mission is clear: to empower Africans with the knowledge and tools to leverage Bitcoin as a pathway to freedom and economic resilience.

Sharon leads communications at Btrust, a non-profit working to decentralize Bitcoin open-source software development. She’s a creative communicator with a passion for storytelling, community building, and making complex ideas easy to understand. With a background in psychology, Sharon brings a human-centered approach to her work, focusing on inclusion, connection, and well-being while building meaningful spaces, both online and offline.

X: https://x.com/Murugi___
Nostr: https://primal.net/p/nprofile1qqs9qf833x5k0wc89g8pd883n7yv79trjrj26va2dvzgghj97cd0e7qlwnk8e

Simon is a Bitcoin engineer, educator, and open-source contributor focused on mining decentralization.

He is a Btrust grantee working on Stratum V2, contributing to efforts that strengthen Bitcoin’s mining infrastructure.

He is a co-founder of BitDevs Nairobi, a Btrust Builders faculty member, and a Bitcoin educator who has facilitated developer bootcamps in Kenya and beyond.

Through his work in the Bitcoin development ecosystem, Simon is actively nurturing the next generation of open-source Bitcoin contributors across Africa.

https://x.com/dzeg5
npub1zm2dg6fjl8aw0rcmhhc8kcdax6nzmsvvdwxcwc9upnvctl5vvwlslpf260

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 later founded and established Google’s presence in South Africa..
When Stafford was introduced to Bitcoin in 2014 he was knee deep in building a Tradfi startup, inventing the thumbzup Payment Pebble, a world-first solution that expanded globally after Visa Inc. invested in the company.
He is a technology angel investor in several leading pre-seed startups, served on the board of Discovery Bank, CSIR, Advtech & chairman of the Wits University Innovation Lab, is also chairman of the board at Altvest Capital, Executive Chairman of the Africa Bitcoin Corporation (Africa’s first BTC Treasury Company listed on the JSE), Co-founder of BitMach (a Bitcoin mining company), an independent “crypto” advisor to several regulatory bodies in South Africa, and Guest (MBA) lecturer at GIBS, UJ School of Business, and Henley Business Schools.

Theophilus Isah is the CEO and Co-founder of Mavapay, a Bitcoin company focused on providing payment infrastructure starting with Africa, with global potential. Theo is a Btrust alumnus and is deeply invested in technical Bitcoin education for the Global South. He is also actively involved in building free Bitcoin open-source tools and projects that foster Bitcoin adoption.

https://x.com/Extheo

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.

Sound money nerd since discovering mises.org ~20 years ago. Former goldbug, bitcoin-only since 2018. Launched Satsback.com in 2020—a tool that helps people stack free sats while shopping online. Basically a bitcoin faucet with extra steps and profit, Lightning-only payouts from day 1. Recently much more interested in bitcoin as freedom money and merchant adoption than treasury reserve companies. Working on something new re: lightning payments.

Veronika Kütt is a researcher and strategist with a long-term focus on Bitcoin. With a background in mathematics and a strong analytical approach, she studies and designs Bitcoin-native Layer 2 protocols and their implications for the future of digital economies. She takes a holistic approach to exploring new ways of living together and alternative governance models, thinking about the future of human systems through the lens of technology and longevity. Veronika currently contributes to Ark Labs, where she researches Arkade, an execution layer built on Ark, to advance Bitcoin toward programmable money.

Wanjiru Mariru works at the intersection of open-source Bitcoin development, developer education, and community building. She works closely with the Fedimint project and is actively involved in exploring how the Fedimint Web SDK can be used as an accessible entry point for developers across different backgrounds.

Her work focuses on designing practical, hands-on learning experiences that help developers move from initial curiosity about Bitcoin technologies to real participation in open-source projects.

Wanjiru is passionate about open collaboration, knowledge sharing, and growing sustainable Bitcoin developer communities in Africa. She believes that approachable entry points help strengthen the Bitcoin ecosystem and invite more people to contribute meaningfully.

Mathematician working on Fedimint

https://x.com/joschisanbtc