First Bitcoin academy launches in Africa to teach people about digital currency, blockchain

The Bitcoin Academy is the first of its kind in Africa. The new company will focus on bitcoin and blockchain development courses, and is located at the Bandwidth Barn in Woodstock, Cape Town.

The aim of Bitcoin Academy is to educate those wanting to know more about Bitcoin, blockchains, as well as developers wanting to integrate the exciting technology. The organisation is founded by Sonya Kuhnel, who’s the founder of Bitcoin Payments and Bitcoin Events.

Kuhnel says there has been much resistance towards the digital currency:

When I first started in the bitcoin space, I encountered significant resistance towards digital currencies from individuals and businesses in South Africa.

Read more: Bitcoin price is lowest in two years, here are 4 possible reasons why

She goes on to state, “The level of understanding of bitcoin and its underlying technology, the blockchain, proved to be a real challenge and I realised I would have to first educate the marketplace before there would be any significant uptake of the digital currency and the cutting-edge technology behind it.”

Kuhnel says many institutions are already interested in the courses on offer: “We are offering basic, intermediary and advanced training in bitcoin and the blockchain, and some of the top financial institutions in South Africa have already expressed interest in our courses.”

The Bitcoin Academy courses currently on offer are:

• Bitcoin 101 Course – covers the basics of Bitcoin, such as an explanation, pricing, and mining.
• Blockchain 101 Course – covers the basics of blockchain, such as payment processing, transactions, and security.
• Blockchain-based application course – for developers wanting to build blockchain-based applications.

Courses are full day sessions with pricing starting from R2 500 per person.

Read more: Memeburn goes behind Gyft’s big Bitcoin ecosystem plan

Kuhnel also collaborated with CEO of Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative’s Ian Merrington on the launch of the BitHub in May this year.

According to Merrington:

Our support for the Bitcoin Academy fits in very well with our Fintech incubation strategy. Our role is to empower the tech and innovation ecosystem, so hosting the Bitcoin Academy provides support for the formal financial industries as well as entrepreneurs and innovators working with crypto currency.

This is another step in the right direction for Bitcoin in Africa. It not only encourages unique development round blockchain and Bitcoin, but shows users a Bankless currency is possible.