In south eastern Nigeria, there is an ageless system that has raised an army of successful traders – they call it ‘boi boi’. The English translation is apprenticeship. This system allows young people especially who wish to become trade professionals to sign an agreement with their ‘Oga’ (boss) to serve him for a period of 3 to 6 years depending on the kind of business. At the end of the service years, The apprentice gets a settlement – a good sum of money that is enough to start small in that line of business. This system should not be mistaken for slavery, it is a community based system for churning out professional business men in south eastern Nigeria. Here are few points to note from this system

The entry level traders learn from the professionals for free over a period of time
You learn one line of business per time
Throughout the boi boi period, you are exposed to the different business dynamics which also includes going to make goods purchases, placing orders for goods, taking stock, pricing, sales etc.
All traders in a certain business line are situated in a certain area
Prices of goods and services in these area hardly differ because they are bounded under an association
It’s all about a win win for all, so a strong foundation is very essential, thus the apprenticeship system

You may want to ask; why the market trader’s story?

Communities have always been Africa’s thriving space, where we learn better together, grow, establish, network, and give back to the society. I’m so glad we can say the same about web3 and blockchain growth in Africa.

In Africa, we have seen lots of communities both big and small who are vested in training cryptocurrency traders in technical, fundamental and sentimental analysis, and some who are sold out to blockchain evangelism. Others are into funding blockchain initiatives, co-drafting policies and regulation and general awareness.

I will go ahead listing quite a number of big and small web3 based communities to demonstrate how communities play a pivotal role in structuring Africas web3 army, just like the analogy we saw earlier.

Women Who Code Lagos : With over 3,730 women members at the time of writing, this community of women are tech-inclined with skills ranging from software engineers, data analyst, UI/UX designers, data scientists and what have you. Basically, women who code Lagos are vested in training and supporting women in technology skills through study groups, fireside chats, meetups and other related events. This community of women train and source and match job opportunities with skills for their members. On a lighter note, women supporting women.

Women Who Code Lagos have hosted 82 successful tech events so far for women.

Code Pyramid Nigeria Code pyramid is a public community of over 833 members based in Northern Nigeria. This community is dedicated to inclusion, and not youth centered. Members of this community include web designers, software developers, animators and what have you. Interestingly, this community has successfully hosted over 14 web3 events over time.

BNUGDAO This too is a Web3 community and a crypto organization that drives blockchain adoption in Africa. On top of that, part of their goals is to build an inclusive financial ecosystem for all.

Web3 Warri Is a growing community of Web3 techies with about 115 members at the time of writing. They consist of smart contract developers, open source contributors, tech-writers. From their portfolio, they are committed to promote blockchain technology through collaborative learning, meetups, conferences and workshops. If you ask me, growing together has never been more fun and seamless especially when it is free, diverse and inclusive. Web3 warri has hosted 8 past events.

Filecoin Orbit community programme is a blockchain project community. They are a community of web3 developers and tech enthusiasts who are poised to delve deeper into the Filecoin project and its ecosystem at large.

The affore mentioned communities is only a tip of the spear. There are lots and lots of Web3 based communities who leverage the resources of whatsapp, Telegram, LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter spaces and Discord and a host of other resourceful platforms both on-sight and virtual to foster Web3 adoption in Africa.

Concluding note

Collaboration is a key player in blockchain communities that have brought together entrepreneurs, developers, and experts, facilitating the creation of blockchain-based solutions tailored to African needs. For instance, projects using blockchain for healthcare, supply chain management, and remittances have emerged with community support.

Moreover, these communities have advocated for favorable regulations and policies, addressing concerns about fraud and security while supporting innovation. In countries like Nigeria, Kenya, and South Africa, blockchain enthusiasts have influenced policymakers to consider blockchain-friendly legislation.

African blockchain communities have driven growth by educating, fostering collaboration, and advocating for enabling environments. They have not only sparked interest but also cultivated an ecosystem that harnesses blockchain’s potential to address real-world challenges across the continent.

Photo Credit: Code pyramid Nigeria.