Seven Women in Web3 Are Building Africa’s Blockchain Backbone in Real Time

When the Africa Blockchain Festival convenes October 15–17, 2026, at Nairobi’s Sarit Expo Centre, its sessions are focused on builders and applications beyond cryptocurrency and finance and feature the women in Web3 who are driving Africa’s blockchain ecosystem.

Their impact has well deserved two sessions: Day One’s Women in Web3 Leadership Forum (15:30, Track C) and Day Two’s Women Who Build panel (Track D, 14:00). These two events will feature speakers who are building in real time.

As of the time of writing, these seven queens have the combined portfolio spanning stablecoin rails serving over one million users, private-law frameworks adopted by governments, exchange operations in newly regulated markets, and community strategies driving double-digit engagement growth.

Mercy Emmanuel Is Building the Stablecoin Rails Africa’s Payments Need

Among the first speakers to join up with the Africa Blockchain Festival is Mercy Emmanuel, Stablecoins and Blockchain Commercial Lead for Flutterwave. Aside from being part of one of Africa’s unicorn startups, Mercy’s core focus is bridging stablecoins with the day-to-day lives of Africans. Circle, Polygon, Ripple, Tempo, Fireblocks, Turnkey, Nuvion, and Mono.

Mercy has stated that stablecoins are the future of finance and Flutterwave will become the core linchpin of Africa’s stablecoin movement. This confidence might be attributed to its recent USDC, USD Festival, and RLUSD updates.

“Stablecoins are rewriting how money moves and becoming the invisible engine behind trade, remittances, commerce, and settlement for millions globally.“

As the lead of Flutterwave’s stablecoin Mercy, bring in a direct look at what startups are planning, how they are executing, and what lessons were ultimately learned via diversions that never panned out.

Mercy’s role is broad, and we can only anticipate her contributions for the ABF 2026 alongside the Africa Blockchain Fellowship.

RELATED: Meet Bitcoin Dada: The Sisterhood Putting African Women on the Bitcoin Map

Nicole Purin Writes the Legal Playbook for Non-Custodial Finance

When it comes to Africa’s regulatory system, we have made some progress, but ultimately we are still fragmented. Gaining insight into each framework brings us closer to either a pro-blockchain ecosystem or a restrictive regime that prioritizes profits.

Nicole Purin, Head of Legal for Trustify, has danced with the legal turbulence in blockchain. She understands what regulators require, what startups require, and what policies and regulations are fit for any blockchain startups. She draws her experience from OKX during her time as the Deputy General Counsel. Since 2022, Nicole has dived into understanding fintech, banking, payments, crypto assets, DeFi, and MiCA.

Currently, Nicole deals with everything legal for Trustify, which raised $6.8 million in December 2025 as seed funding. The platform introduced bankless accounts via non-custodial wallets. In a nutshell, the platform never stores private keys; instead, third-party regulated providers issue debit cards and bank accounts where available.

It’s important to understand the legal distinction of the company. Trustify is not a wallet nor a bank; instead, it shapes both fundraising and regulator conversations.

“The real question is no longer whether regulation constrains innovation, but how thoughtful regulatory design can accelerate responsible growth.”

Nicole presents a unique campaign that many young women can use to navigate their roles in the blockchain industry. For the most part, newbies often believe they are part of a blockchain startup, envisioning roles such as CEO, developer, or marketer as ideal positions. Yet, based on Nicole’s brief success stories, neglecting the legal aspect of blockchain automatically excludes you from the competitive landscape, especially in Africa.

Baiba Broka’s DAPL Principles Are Reshaping Digital Asset Law

BaiBa Broka, an Ad-Honorem Governing Council Member for UNIDROIT, also has a unique fall in legal and policy making. Baiba is part of the UNIDROIT DAPL Principles project. In a nutshell, it’s a framework that developed 19 principles on digital assets and private law, which were later adopted in May 2023 and published in October 2023.

The framework covers proprietary rights, “control” as a functional equivalent of possession, custody, secured transactions, insolvency, and applicable law. Technology-neutral, business-model-neutral, jurisdiction-neutral, and Sharia-adaptable.

The project is a highly used reference kit for legal professionals in Algeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Morocco, Somalia, and South Africa. The Dubai International Financial Centre incorporated DAPL into its digital asset laws. In addition, a MENA symposium in February 2026 discussed Sharia compatibility.

“The DAPL Principles had been produced in a very timely manner and would be welcomed by the industry…”

One of the few core differences Baiba brings as compared to other speakers is a direct link to private law. There is a key distinction: while most laws focus on how governments can regulate, control, and protect consumers, they most often overlook the private interactions within organizations.

It provides clarity of ownership, custody, collateral, and insolvency, but with a main focus on institutional product-market fit. Institutional clients need to know what happens to digital assets in bankruptcy, cross-border disputes, and secured lending. DAPL offers a common vocabulary.

Wanjiru Mwoka Turns Community Into Developer Onboarding

One of the main marketing forms of Web3 is social media. Currently Africa’s mobile penetration rate is 46%, with roughly 600 million mobile subscribers. Now TikTok, Farcaster, X, and Instagram are all in the rage and are actively producing content targeting Web3.

However, the success rate of Web3 content creators has dwindled; hence, Wanjiru Mwok comes in to provide a blueprint of what needs to be done.

Wanjru currently has an impressive track record as a Web3 community builder focused on go-to-market, content, and social media. Based in Kenya, she manages Discord community design that contributed to a 15 percent monthly increase in user interaction.

“DePIN envisions a world where communities and individuals… Imagine having a stake in cell phone towers or logistics networks within your local community, shaping their development and benefiting directly from their success.” ~ Wanjiru Mwoka

The Founder Educator: Panashe Sivindani, MAVARA & Flamelily Foundation

Women in Web3 provide a unique take on applying blockchain. For instance, Panashe Sivindani is the founder of MAVARA, the Flamelily Foundation, and serves as the Head of Residency, Venture & Capital at Malaika.

Sivindani has an impressive track record, founding the Flamelily Foundation, a Zimbabwe-based organization addressing period poverty, girls’ education, and the intersection of women’s health, AI, and blockchain. The project took five years to develop and was co-founded with Susan Muchirahondo, with annual fundraisers and short film production.

Sivindani’s goals and wants are simple: to provide an ecosystem, a platform, and the means to address poverty and educational gaps and empower young girls via blockchain technology.

“We’re not just addressing period poverty or education gaps; we are building a future shaped by women and rooted in community.”

The Exchange Operator: Chebet Kipingor, Busha, Kenya

Local exchanges are each steadily growing, with many opting to focus more locally than internationally. Busha Exchange is among the top local exchanges in Africa in both volume and regulatory licensing. Chebet Kipingor is the business operations manager of Busha Kenya.

As an upcoming exchange whose roots can be found in Nigeria, Chebet’s core goal is to ensure onboarding in Kenya runs smoothly, and her experience in Kenya’s crypto market is invaluable to founders.

RELATED: Kenya’s 2025 Crypto Bill Officially Becomes Law: A Trader’s Guide to VASP Licensing and Compliance

She, along with a few members of Kenya’s crypto community and the VAAK, voiced their opinions and actively participated in Kenya’s recent VASP bill.

“With Parliament’s passage of the VASP Bill, Kenya is one signature away from making regulatory history. It’s a signal that Africa’s most innovative economy is ready to balance innovation with consumer protection and that progress, not fear, will shape our digital future.”

Beverly Ezebuike Turns Partnerships Into Distribution

Raenest received a $11 million Series A and launched a Perks Program in July 2024, featuring 20 brands (including Adidas, Fez Delivery, and Pricepally) that offer discounts of up to 50 percent. It’s among the top platforms, and having Berverly Ezebuike as a speaker at the Africa Blockchain Festival opens the doors to understanding a fundamental want for every blockchain company: community.

So far, Beverly Ezebuike’s track record is impressive. Over $50 million in profit was driven, and 500,000+ community members added across roles at Bundle Africa (Binance-owned, first one million app downloads) and Kuda Bank (helped surpass seven million customers). Master’s in Digital Marketing (Distinction), University of Northampton.

“I took full ownership of the project, from sourcing and securing partners to spending long hours in strategy and negotiation sessions.”

If nothing else, Beverly shows us that partnerships are a repeatable distribution system. Source, negotiate, activate, and convert. Ezebuike’s model at Raenest turns lifestyle perks into user retention and cross-border banking into daily utility.

Where Africa Fits in the ABF 2026 Pipeline

33 days left, and so far we have seven women in Web3 profiles here who are speaking at ABF 2026. Their collective work encompasses stablecoin infrastructure, legal frameworks, private-law harmonization, L2 community building, founder education, exchange operations, and partnership systems.

Basically each layer of Africa’s digital and blockchain economy has been outlined, and you have a chance to be in the forefront. Keep in mind that this opportunity is merely the beginning, and ABF 2026 focuses on:

“What did they build, how did they fund it, and what trade-offs did they make?”

The answers are in the sessions.