Binance Educates the World: A Recap of Our Efforts in Africa
As a leader in blockchain education, Binance has provided free crypto classes to over 400,000 Africans, on topics ranging from user protection to building a career in blockchain. In this article, you’ll learn more about our efforts to increase crypto literacy in Africa, the different educational channels we provide and the milestones we’ve achieved in 2020 - 2021.
At Binance, we’re dedicated to educating crypto users worldwide as we continue our mission to increase the freedom of money, drive blockchain adoption and enable greater accessibility.
Since we entered the cryptosphere, we’ve always strived to be at the forefront of blockchain education, equipping crypto newbies with Binance Academy, a one-stop guide to all things crypto, and providing ongoing free crypto education efforts in Africa, where crypto interest and adoption continue to increase.
Providing Free Access to Educational Resources
Our Binance Masterclass has provided free crypto education to over 400,000 Africans since its inception in January 2020. Because crypto newbies often fall prey to crypto scams, these free webinars primarily helped users understand the fundamentals of cryptocurrencies, identify scams and, ultimately, safeguard their crypto journey.
We also provided classes for topics ranging from crypto trading to careers in blockchain, helping those who lost their jobs and income during the onset of the global pandemic.
By the end of 2020, Binance Masterclass had helped educate over 70,000 Africans in just one year since its debut. We’ve since doubled down on our efforts, providing educational resources to over 177,000 Africans in Q1 2021 and over 179,500 in Q2 2021- creating the educational infrastructure that Africans need to be financially free and informed.
“Blockchain education is at the heart of our focus in the global market. As a blockchain infrastructure provider, we are committed to ensuring that more and more people have access to the right information about the workings of the ecosystem. Africa is a very important market for Binance because we see the profound opportunity blockchain brings to the entire continent.” said Emmanuel Babalola, Director at Binance Africa.
Eight-Week Masterclass in Blockchain Development
In addition to training new and veteran crypto users, Binance is dedicated to equipping blockchain developers with the necessary skills to build exceptional solutions and, eventually, emerge as valuable talenta within the industry. In Q1 2021, Binance hosted an eight-week masterclass where we trained over 1000 blockchain developers in Africa, allocated a $1 million fund for African developers and hosted a live demo showcasing newly built blockchain-based products in action, including staking and farming projects, algorithm-based stablecoins, automated market makers, insurance projects and much more. Opeyemi Olabode, one of our Binance Masterclass graduates, describes his experience with Binance’s masterclass:
"The eight-week Masterclass exceeded my expectations. I got to learn so much technically as well as the business side. Also, being given the opportunity to lead a team also helped to boost my leadership abilities considering students with diverse backgrounds, cultures and timezones. My team won third place, and with the promise of support and resources from the facilitators, I see this as a big opportunity. Lastly, I got the opportunity to share what I knew with other students, and I have met very talented developers like myself who are surely going to make Africa proud."
If you’re interested in learning more, here are some additional resources Binance Africa has used to provide crypto education and accelerate financial inclusion:
Newbie Walkthroughs. A webinar series for newbies that provides an introduction to cryptocurrency and the Binance platform, ensuring beginners have access to the right information about the workings of the crypto ecosystem.
My Binance Class. A campaign that creates an opportunity for tutors to get rewarded for their efforts in spreading knowledge about crypto and blockchain to all. The goal of the campaign is to decentralize and deliver sound crypto education through the creation of smaller learning communities.
Blockchain Student Corner. An AMA webinar series for students across Binance communities in Africa opportunities in blockchain, the basics of cryptocurrency trading and much more.
Hackathon Workshops. Our most recent hackathon spanned 21 days and saw participants building DeFi and NFT solutions to solve real problems affecting countries and communities in Africa. 20 teams kicked off the hackathon, with participants building DeFi & NFT projects based on a variety of use-cases, including Savings, Lending and Borrowing, Swaps, Royalties and Renting, Elections, Identity Management, Land Ownership and NFT marketplaces. The community engaged in weekly workshops during the hackathon to bring their projects to life.