The World’s Leading Blockchain Experts Are Coming To South Africa
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology has the potential to revolutionise and transform existing business processes and is capable of making the world more transparent, connected, efficient and democratic.
The African continent has massive challenges with transactions and doing business. These can be improved using blockchain technology to provide simpler, more efficient and cost-effective ways of working, reducing fraud, increasing security and transparency, and removing human error and inefficiencies.
The Blockchain Africa Conference 2019 is Africa’s leading blockchain conference and will focus on moving Africa forward and enabling the continent to adopt blockchain technology to improve lives and transform industries. The event will explore a range of topics which include embracing blockchain technology, its benefits and opportunities, insight into current blockchain use cases, the regulatory environment and concerns around performance, adoption, scalability and blockchain infrastructure.
In its fifth edition, the conference will have speakers and delegates from over 35 countries, attracting investors, startups, enthusiasts, developers, corporates, policymakers, venture funds and regulators. The conference brings together top thought-leaders and pioneers in the industry, and creates an ecosystem for all to learn, network, and collaborate with each other.
The Speakers
The conference speakers are some of the most well-known names globally, some of whom started their careers in this space when bitcoin and blockchain technology was first created. The Master of Ceremonies in Johannesburg is Farzam Ehsani, CEO and Co-Founder of VALR.com. Didi Sehume, Project Lead and Strategist at Hume Est., is the Master of Ceremonies in Cape Town.
The Keynote speaker in Johannesburg will be Brian Behlendorf, the Executive Director of the Linux Foundation’s Hyperledger project, who has been named one of the top 10 influential voices in the blockchain world, in a New York Times commentary titled “The People Leading the Blockchain Revolution .” Hyperledger now oversees several different blockchain projects, but its biggest product is Hyperledger Fabric, which is being used by everyone from Walmart to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Other speakers include:
- Caroline Dama, Director, and Co-founder of Grassroots Economics, a non-profit organisation addressing financial inclusivity in Africa by focusing on community development through community currency programs. The community currencies serve as a regional means of exchange that supplements the national currency system. The people in Kenya now have a way to exchange goods and services and incubate new businesses, without relying on scarce national currency and volatile markets.
- Monica Singer, Creator of Opportunities at ConsenSys, a blockchain technology company who develops decentralised software services and applications that operate on the Ethereum blockchain. Monica was named SA’s most influential women in business in the category of business service, run by CEO Magazine.
- Faith Obafemi, Founding Partner at Lex Futurus, a digital legal firm providing blockchain and decentralised ledger legal advisory services. Faith is a digital lawyer, passionate about blockchain technology. Her work on blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and smart contracts have been published in popular publications like CryptoCoin.News, CryptoGlobe, CryptoCoreMedia, TheCoinOffering and a host of others.
- Dr. Shaun Conway, founder of Consent, and also Founder and President at the Ixo Foundation, a nonprofit software development foundation, building the ixo blockchain for
sustainable development impacts. Dr. Shaun is a clinically experienced physician and innovator who has founded global health and human development ventures that have impacted the lives of millions of people. - Marcus Swanepoel, Co-founder and CEO of Luno, South Africa’s first and largest cryptocurrency exchange. Marcus previously worked in private equity, consumer and investment banking across Europe, Southeast Asia and Africa, for companies like Standard Chartered, Morgan Stanley and 3i. He holds an MBA from INSEAD, is a qualified Chartered Accountant and CFA charter holder.
- Dr. Ntuthuko Bhengu, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Road Accident Fund and Non-Executive Advisory Committee member of Nestle (SA) (Pty) Ltd. In 2015, Dr Bhengu was appointed by the Presidency to serve as the Health sector expert and Commissioner of the National Planning Commission for 2015-2020. During his career spanning 22 years, Dr. Ntuthuko operated in various senior management roles within the healthcare industry which afforded him an in-depth understanding of Health Care Policy and Management of corporations in pharmaceutical, biotechnology, hospital and health insurance sectors.
Move Beyond the Hype
The Blockchain Africa Conference 2019 will focus on cutting through the hype and showcase the real use-cases, from industry leaders who have products and services available to consumers to use and for governments and policymakers to adopt this technology. Although it is still too early to predict its impact, the current uses of blockchain technology is an indication that it can solve a number of challenges.
Previous Events
Judging from our previous conferences you can expect a buzzing exhibition space, riveting discussions and debates. The event provides a platform for delegates to network with like-minded individuals in order to partner, invest in and collaborate with each other. Tickets range from the Start-Up Ticket, Standard Ticket and the Executive Ticket. Sponsorship opportunities still exist, should your business wish to increase its exposure. If you are interested in attending the conference, you can buy a ticket for Johannesburg or Cape Town, or both cities! The dates are 28 February – 1 March 2019 and March 6, 2019, respectively. To purchase tickets, click here.
If your business is in Africa and your target is growth, the Blockchain Africa Conference 2019 in South Africa is a must-attend.