In a continent where traditional banking infrastructure remains inaccessible to millions, bitcoin is emerging as a powerful force for financial inclusion across Africa.
Innovative projects leveraging bitcoin’s decentralized architecture are creating new economic opportunities, empowering unbanked populations, and fostering self-sovereign financial systems.
Machankura: Bitcoin Via SMS for the Unbanked
South African developer Kgothatso Ngako created Machankura (meaning “money” in local slang) to solve a critical challenge: enabling bitcoin transactions without smartphones or internet access. This groundbreaking service allows users across nine African countries to send and receive bitcoin via simple SMS or USSD codes on basic feature phones. 
With users across Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, and 5 other countries, Machankura bridges the digital divide, making bitcoin accessible to rural communities where smartphone penetration remains low but feature phones are ubiquitous. Each user receives a non-custodial wallet address that works through the Lightning Network.
Bitcoin Ekasi: Building Circular Economies in South African Townships
Founded in August 2021, Bitcoin Ekasi operates in a township in Mossel Bay, South Africa, with a mission to create a functional bitcoin circular economy. The project pays coaches from The Surfer Kids Non-Profit organization in bitcoin while onboarding local merchants to accept payments.
Bitcoin Ekasi pays coaches’ salaries with bitcoin, while simultaneously on-boarding township vendors to accept bitcoin as payment. This allows the coaches to spend their SATs buying groceries in the township, thereby introducing bitcoin into the township economy.
The project demonstrates how bitcoin can function as everyday money in communities historically excluded from traditional banking. By building on established community trust through The Surfer Kids (founded in 2010), bitcoin Ekasi has successfully integrated bitcoin into daily economic activities, providing a model for similar initiatives across the continent.
Tando: Seamless Bitcoin Integration with Kenya’s M-Pesa
Kenya’s Tando platform has revolutionized bitcoin adoption by integrating with M-Pesa, the mobile money service used by 54 million Kenyans. Named after the Asante deity of thunder and lightning, Tando allows users to spend bitcoin anywhere M-Pesa is accepted, with zero transaction fees.
Unlike many global bitcoin users who prioritize its store-of-value properties, Tando recognized that most Africans approach bitcoin first as a medium of exchange. This insight led to a solution that leverages existing payment infrastructure while introducing bitcoin’s benefits, creating a frictionless on-ramp to adoption.
Adopting Bitcoin Conference: Education and Network Building in Cape Town
The annual Adopting Bitcoin Conference in Cape Town has become Africa’s premier bitcoin-focused event, attracting over 1,000 attendees. The conference aims to accelerate bitcoin adoption through workshops, networking opportunities, and demonstrations of Lightning Network applications.
This educational initiative plays a crucial role in building Africa’s bitcoin ecosystem by connecting entrepreneurs, developers, and community leaders while showcasing practical applications of the technology for solving local challenges.
The Sun Exchange: Solar Energy Powered by Bitcoin
South Africa-based Sun Exchange merges renewable energy with bitcoin technology, allowing investors worldwide to purchase solar cells for as little as $4 using bitcoin. These solar installations power schools, retirement homes, farms, and small businesses across Africa.
Since 2015, Sun Exchange has developed over 100 solar power and energy storage projects for schools, retirement homes, farms, nonprofits and other midsize businesses.
This innovative financing model has enabled the deployment of solar infrastructure in communities that would otherwise lack access to renewable energy. By using bitcoin for both investments and revenue distribution, Sun Exchange creates a transparent, borderless system for funding sustainable development projects.
Bitcoin Beach Hotel Zanzibar: Bitcoin Tourism
Located on the picturesque beaches of Zanzibar, the Bitcoin Beach Hotel provides luxury accommodations with direct bitcoin payment options. This beachfront property featuring private villas and bungalows overlooking the Indian Ocean has become a symbol of bitcoin’s growing presence in Africa’s tourism sector.
The hotel not only attracts bitcoin enthusiasts but also introduces the concept of cryptocurrency payments to international tourists visiting the region, further normalizing digital currency usage in everyday transactions.
The Statistical Landscape
Africa’s embrace of bitcoin continues to accelerate, with Nigeria maintaining its position as the continent’s leader in digital currency adoption. According to Chainalysis’ 2024 Global Crypto Adoption Index, sub-Saharan Africa accounts for 2.7% of global digital currency transaction volume, with Nigeria ranking second worldwide in adoption rates.
This growth comes despite regulatory uncertainties in some countries, demonstrating the organic, grassroots nature of bitcoin adoption driven by practical needs for financial services rather than speculative investment.
Africa’s Bitcoin Future
These pioneering bitcoin projects showcase how digital currency adoption in Africa is taking a uniquely pragmatic approach, focusing on solving real financial challenges rather than speculative investment.
By leveraging existing technologies like feature phones and popular payment systems, African bitcoin initiatives are creating accessible on-ramps that meet users where they are.
As traditional financial infrastructure struggles to serve vast portions of the population, bitcoin’s borderless, permissionless architecture offers a compelling alternative pathway to financial inclusion.
The initiatives highlighted above demonstrate how bitcoin can be adapted to local contexts while preserving its core principles of self-sovereignty and decentralization.
With continued growth in adoption rates, increasing education through conferences, and innovative projects addressing specific regional challenges, Africa is positioned to become a global leader in practical bitcoin implementation—potentially offering models that could be replicated in other developing regions facing similar financial inclusion challenges.
