By now, you will have heard the words ‘blockchain’ and ‘cryptocurrencies’ thrown around a fair bit.

Given how both have the potential to revolutionise and transform existing business processes, making the world a more transparent, connected and efficient place, you’ll be hearing those words a fair bit in the future, too.

Here at home, the African continent has massive challenges with regards transactions and doing business. Many business leaders now believe that blockchain technology can be used to provide simpler, more efficient and cost-effective ways of working.

Don’t take it from us, though, because if blockchain is something that interests you, then you’ll need to check out the Blockchain Africa Conference 2019.

Africa’s leading blockchain conference will focus on moving Africa forward, and enabling the continent to adopt blockchain technology to improve lives and transform industries.

There will be two conferences next year – one in Johannesburg from February 28 through to March 1, and another in Cape Town on March 6 – exploring 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 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.

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.
• 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.

• 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.
• Marcus Swanepoel, Co-founder and CEO of Luno, South Africa’s first and largest cryptocurrency exchange.

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.

Judging from their 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, and sponsorship opportunities still exist for businesses who want to increase their exposure.

You can find out all about the ticket and sponsorship options here, and stay up to speed with the latest event news on the 2019 Blockchain Africa Conference Twitter account.