Table of Contents
TL;DR,
- Bitcoin educators like Grant Gombwa have successfully trained over 1,000 students in self-custody, sparking a measurable surge in grassroots crypto adoption across the continent.
- Leaders across Malawi, Burundi, and Cameroon are establishing circular economies and translating technical resources into local languages to combat inflation and financial exclusion.
- Unlike the global “store of value” narrative, Africa’s approach treats Bitcoin as a practical utility for payments, savings, and infrastructure development through community-led initiatives.
Today, Bitcoin is a well-known name, with the majority of the African space having a similar thought: “We should have bought Bitcoin at $18,000” (me too).
However, Africa’s Bitcoin story and adoption have revolutionized due to the efforts of a few individuals who saw the potential this digital asset has as a hedge against inflation, a blueprint for better alternative financial systems, and cheaper mediums for transactions.
In collaboration with data collected by African Bitcoiners, here’s the first of a four-part series that honors the African Bitcoin educators who turned curiosity into capability. Today, their efforts have tangible progress in self-custody, payments, and small-business resilience, and a measurable surge in “learn by doing” experiences that accelerate Bitcoin adoption in Africa.
Meet the African Bitcoin Educators Training 1,000+ Students in Self-Custody and Financial Freedom
Grant Gombwa: Transforming Malawi’s Monetary Future
When your national currency nosedives by 44% in value overnight and inflation soars to 40%, alternative currency is a lifeline. Grant Gombwa, co-executive director of the Bitcoin Boma Coalition, went from student organizer to national leader, becoming one of Malawi’s most influential voices for Bitcoin adoption in Africa.
Throughout 2025, Gombwa, co-founders Nick Twyman and Ian Foster, and his team at Bitcoin Boma managed to establish a Bitcoin circular economy across Malawian communities. Their secret? Focusing on education through their Bitcoin Diploma Program, which focuses on the practical application of digital assets.
This program engaged in hands-on workshops at universities and supported merchant onboarding initiatives that brought Lightning payment capabilities to businesses in Mulanje. Over 100+ graduates from the program are part of the experiment, which is an attempt at replicating El Salvador’s Bitcoin experiment.
Additionally, Grant has led his team to develop resources like EconoKidz.com, an animated course making economic principles accessible to children. This early education approach lays the groundwork for a generational shift in Malawians’ understanding of money.
Belyï Nobel Kubwayo: Bringing Bitcoin to Rural Burundi
In Winteko Village, Burundi, Belyï Nobel Kubwayo has orchestrated something extraordinary: the nation’s first Bitcoin circular economy, where merchants and residents conduct daily transactions using Bitcoin. As founder of BTC Shule, Kubwayo focuses relentlessly on self-custody training and financial inclusion for populations traditionally excluded from banking services.
Currently, as of 2025, the BTC Shule has trained over 40 youths from MyFirstBitcoin programs and hosted Burundi’s first Bitcoin hackathon. Belyi focuses on localizing the concept of Bitcoin. His approach was methodical, translating the Bitcoin White Paper into Kirundi.
Aside from providing practical Bitcoin education, his platform established a physical hub for meetups and actively onboarded merchants to accept Bitcoin. Currently 14 shops and 1 hotel are accepting BTC, all thanks to Bely’s motivation to democratize finance.
However, BTC Shule’s most impressive feat is raising 1 million satoshi (going towards a 5 million satoshi goal) for deploying Starlink and solar infrastructure to connect 300 residents to the internet, recognizing that connectivity itself is a prerequisite to financial inclusion.
As an African Bitcoin educator, Kubwayo holds multiple Bitcoin certifications, including the renowned Certified Bitcoin Professional (CBP), Sailor Academy, and Crack The Orange.
BTC Shule’s comprehensive programming includes Trezor Academy sessions on security and self-custody training, BitDevs Gitega developer meetups focused on Lightning and privacy technologies, bootcamps that combine education with hands-on building, and collaborative projects supporting contextually relevant open-source development.
Nzonda Fotsing: Championing Francophone Bitcoin Education
For African nations using the Franc CFA, a colonial-era currency still controlled by the French Treasury, monetary sovereignty is still a goal. Nzonda Fotsing found a solution, understood it, and became a leading African Bitcoin educator in Cameroon.
Bitcoin education in Africa is still overwhelmingly English-centric with a few exceptions. Nzonda conceived the first major Bitcoin-only, Conférence Bitcoin Afrique, French-language conference, held April 25–27, 2025, in Douala. Over 400+ in-person attendees showed up and had a digital reach exceeding 50,000 people across Facebook, X, YouTube, and TikTok.
It was a hallmark event focusing on making Bitcoin more local. In addition, he authored “Bitcoin Kids,” a comic book teaching financial literacy to children and families through culturally relevant storytelling. Rural Cameroon now has an advocate focused on teaching that there is a better alternative and local startups trying to bridge the gap.
Gloire Kambale Wanzavalere: Building Resilience in Goma
Few places need Bitcoin more urgently than the Democratic Republic of Congo, and few cities exemplify this potential better than Goma under Gloire Wanzavalere’s leadership. Wanzavalere has made his city a symbol of Bitcoin resilience by starting Bridgesats, co-founding Kiveclair, and helping to plan the Africa Bitcoin Conference.
In 2025, Gloire worked with the University of Goma to set up a blockchain and AI center with the help of Tether Africa. The center will have the “École Bitcoin” training program.
His strategy was sound: foster Bitcoin education in Africa while contributing to be-BOP.io, an open-source, self-hosted sales platform integrating Bitcoin and Nostr, enabling unbanked merchants to accept payments without intermediaries.
Kiveclair, an idea inspired by El Salvador’s Bitcoin Beach, is run by Wanzavalere, who organizes vital meetups on self-custody training and Lightning Network technology.
Finally, Gloire co-founded the Africa Bitcoin Conference, whose 4th edition is scheduled for December 3-5, 2025, in Port Louis, Mauritius. According to its numerous outreach efforts, the event intends to consolidate Africa’s thought leaders, developers, activists, and policymakers to explore Bitcoin’s potential.
Glenn Jooste: The Connector Powering Dozens of Projects
While African Bitcoin educators house most of the adoption, there is still the question over the technical background. Meet Glen Jooste, who focused more on training devs on understanding the background of Bitcoin. Jooste has handled hands-on training that covers Bitcoin fundamentals and Lightning Network implementation, enabling participants to run nodes, build circular economies, onboard merchants, and send low-cost remittances.
Jooste provides technical support to over 34 circular economy projects across Africa, collaborating with local entities like The Core, Bitcoin Africa Story, Bitcoin Boma, Bitsavers Eduhub, Citrusrate, and School of Satoshi. He has trained more than 1,000 students in Swellendam and across the continent, which speaks for itself.
Currently, he is providing technical support to more than 34 circular economy projects in Africa. This is an incredible contribution that makes him the backbone of the movement itself.
The Q3 2025 Africa Bitcoin Ecosystem Infographic, which shows the wide range of Bitcoin projects across the continent, prominently featured his work.
Mawufemor Kofi Folivi: Integrating Bitcoin with STEM Education
Mawufemor Kofi Folivi, founder of Bitcoin Dua and managing director of Talent Tahuf Foundation, has one goal: to improve Bitcoin adoption in Ghana. As an African Bitcoin educator, Kofi’s Bitcoin Dua focuses on merging Bitcoin and STEM education throughout schools. Bitcoin DUE conducts workshops, seminars, and community engagements demystifying how and why Bitcoin is a better alternative as a financial system and a model to hedge against inflation.
Talent Tahuf Foundation, with nearly two decades of experience in human capital development, provides the institutional foundation for Bitcoin Dua’s work. The organization has long organized technology fairs featuring robotics, 3D printing, electronics, and app development—skills that naturally complement Bitcoin technical literacy.
It’s a localized initiative to foster growth through practical use cases of how everyday Bitcoin usage can improve financial systems.
Individual Heroes Spark the Flames of Change
To the global market, Bitcoin is seen as a store of value. As per Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin was meant to replace centralized banking; however, along the way, institutional adoption, government intervention, centralized exchanges, and global organizations shifted the narrative.
In Africa, Bitcoin functions more as a utility and a means to hedge against inflation. These African Bitcoin educators have built the ecosystem to what it is now, a learning environment focused on building local solutions rather than adopting global products.
Steadily but surely, the drop of inspiration and knowledge transformed into a wave of change. Soon, and very soon, Bitcoin adoption in Africa will transform into an industry pumping out more local solutions that even impress global powerhouses.
