The Tanzanian government has openly invited academics and researchers to collaborate in producing “favorable” blockchain regulations, tabloid-style South African news outlet The Citizen reported Monday, Oct. 29. As part of a speech at the second Annual ICT [Information and Communications Technology] Professionals Conference 2018 in Dar Es Salaam, Dr. Jim Yonazi, the Deputy Permanent Secretary Minister for Works, Transport, and Communications, reached out to the industry for help divining new use cases for blockchain in order to gauge appropriate regulatory moves. “Although we (the government) can have a national blockchain committee, I also challenge you (experts) and universities to conduct …

Rwanda has partnered with a U.K.-based blockchain startup to trace the mining of the conflict metal tantalum in the country, according to the startup’s press release, published Oct. 16. Rwanda is the world’s leading producer of tantalum, the mineral used in consumer electronics such as smartphones and computers. By using blockchain technology in partnership with startup Circulor, the Rwandan Mining, Petroleum and Gas Board plans to make the production of tantalum more transparent. The press release states that blockchain tech implementation will help “companies comply with the internationally mandated efforts to eradicate sources of funding for conflict minerals.” According to …

Kenya’s government plans to deploy blockchain technology to manage a government housing project of 500,000 units, Kenyan news outlet the Star reported Oct. 15. Within the affordable housing program the government of Kenya reportedly aims to build 500,000 units by 2022, and assist contributors earning less than 100,000 Kenyan Shillings ($992) as they cannot afford mortgages. According to the Star, out of the 2.48 million Kenyans employed in 2016 only 77,000, or 3.1 percent, earned over Sh100,000. The Star reports that blockchain technology will be used to ensure the proper distribution of housing to deserving participants in the program and …

Major international crypto exchange Binance has announced that its fiat-to-crypto exchange will open in Uganda this week, the company reveals Monday, Oct. 15. CEO and founder of Binance, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), had told Cointelegraph in an exclusive interview in June of plans to open the Ugandan crypto-fiat exchange. As per Binance Uganda’s press release, the new branch will officially start accepting deposits and withdrawals of Ugandan shillings (UGX) Wednesday, Oct. 17. Binance Uganda notes that exchange has already begun its know-your-customer (KYC) procedures. An additional press release reports that Uganda’s national fiat can only be traded with Bitcoin (BTC) and …

American journal Time Magazine has included a blockchain startup in its recent top 50 “Genius Companies 2018" list, published Thursday, October 4. In putting together the list, the magazine asked their editors and correspondents to name "businesses that are inventing the future." Influence and success were among the criteria for the choice. Bitland, a blockchain startup based in Ghana, joined the list along with giants like Apple, Netflix, SpaceX and Domino’s. As Cointelegraph reported earlier, Bitland, founded by Ghana native Narigamba Mwinsuubo, uses blockchain to register local land. Bitland cooperates with local authorities to help record property rights in a …

On September 27, at the 73rd Session of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA), Sierra Leone’s president Julius Maada Bio made an announcement where he declared that his country had set a new goal to create a national, blockchain-based credit bureau to “radically transform” the country’s financial inclusion landscape. While the aim sounds ambitious, there’s some evidence that Africa’s population might never need traditional banks per se. Instead, they could start managing their money through newer, decentralized methods. What does blockchain have to do with financial inclusion? First, it is important to outline the term unbanked — these are people who …

Zambia has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the blockchain land registry subsidiary of American retail giant Overstock, the company revealed in a press release July 31. Under the agreement, Overstock’s Medici Land Governance (MLG) will work with the Zambian government on overhauling land ownership, allowing rural landowners to legitimize their estates and gain access to the financial world. “Without formal ownership, individuals struggle to obtain access to credit and public services, while governments are limited in their ability to collect taxes, enforce property rights, and plan for economic expansion and innovation,” the release explains, continuing: “Using blockchain and …

An “advanced and robust” trading platform is vowing to help emerging economies embrace cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology — in the hope that inclusion and education will bring economic freedom to the masses. KuBitX claims that there is widespread reluctance to learn about crypto, compounded by a lack of knowledge and resources for those who want to discover more. The company believes this has enabled a small group of traders to dominate the market and even manipulate it at will — resulting in extreme fluctuations in cryptocurrencies. Its white paper cites a study by Cambridge University, which suggests that Africa is …

A global blockchain consortium of telecom carriers has announced that six further major international telecoms firms are joining its ranks, CT Japan reports today, July 6. The consortium, dubbed ‘The Carrier Blockchain Study Group’ (CBSG) has also today unveiled the creation of a new blockchain working group that will focus on global remittance services. Launched in September 2017, CBSG counts as its founding members Japanese telecoms conglomerate Softbank, Taiwan-based telecoms carrier Far EasTone, and two U.S.-based firms - telecoms-focused blockchain firm TBCASoft and telecoms firm Sprint. Three further members have since joined, these being South Korean LG Uplus, UAE-based Etisalat …

The Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) has initiated studies of blockchain technology with a view to subsequently embrace the technology and integrate it into the bank’s business processes, local news outlet NewsDay reported July 5. Speaking at the Alpha Media Holdings’ Banks and Banking breakfast meeting in Harare yesterday, RBZ governor John Mangudya reportedly said that the bank is looking to embrace the technology. He stated that central banks in a number of countries, including China, the U.S., U.K., and South Africa have been considering blockchain deployment for their own activities. Mangudya continued: “I did not say cryptocurrencies because it …

Changpeng Zhao, the CEO and founder of Binance, said the company is about to launch a crypto-fiat exchange in Uganda, in an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph today, June 28. The new platform, Binance Uganda, will be the company’s first foray into fiat-crypto trading - supporting the Ugandan Shilling, alongside major cryptocurrencies - and is set to launch imminently. Zhao, better known in the crypto industry as ‘CZ,’ told Cointelegraph that the move “shows Binance is not just into chasing the most developed markets”: “We think that crypto has a very strong use case in less developed countries… there’s more money …

Crypto software development program KryptoPal will work with Swiss NGO help2kids to provide software for accepting cryptocurrency donations, according to a press release shared with Cointelegraph Tuesday, June 26. Help2kids provides food, healthcare, and education to children in both Malawi and Tanzania, with 750 kids in the help2kids network in Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam. KryptoPal will set up a public key and go through Know Your Customer KYC guidelines and background checks for each help2kids project. The year-long pilot program for crypto donations with help2kids will allow all funds to be traceable, allowing donors to track their donations “until …