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ABC 2026 Is 23 Days Away: Everything Happening in Blantyre, From Conference Floor to Football Pitch

ME
BY MEGASLEY
Verified Contributor
| 51M AGO | 3 MIN READ |
EVENTS

The countdown is on. As of November 9, there are 23 days until the Africa Bitcoin Conference opens in Blantyre, Malawi. The fifth edition runs from December 2 to 5, 2026 at the Amaryllis Hotel, with the ABC FEST finale closing out the week.

Africa’s largest gathering of the Bitcoin and freedom-tech community is moving to a new city this year. Organisers describe Blantyre as “a growing tech community” and promise a bigger conversation about Bitcoin in Africa. Here is what is lined up, who is speaking, and how to build your first 11 for the football match.

The countdown

  • 23 days to the opening session on December 2
  • 25 days to the AfroBit Concert on December 4
  • 26 days to the football match and food festival on December 5

If you plan to travel, book soon. Blantyre is a new destination for most of the community, and flights and rooms will fill.

What is on the programme

The main conference brings together builders, educators, activists, founders, and policy voices. The official pass covers all conference sessions, unlimited workshops led by Bitcoin innovators, start-up meetups, and coffee, tea, and snacks throughout.

Three ticket tiers are on sale on the official tickets page. You can pay in Bitcoin or by card.

  • ABC Pass, $50: all sessions, workshops, start-up meetups, and refreshments.
  • Satoshi Pass, $350: everything above, plus the private ABC dinner on Day 2, private networking lunches on the first two days, and a VIP bag.
  • Nakamoto Pass, $600: everything in the Satoshi Pass, plus a Day 1 reception, the VIP lounge, an invite-only goodbye dinner, and premium gift bags.

Who is on stage

More than 30 speakers are confirmed so far. Several will be familiar to ABN readers:

  • Sabina Waithira Gitau of Tando, the team that made M-Pesa numbers Lightning-addressable
  • Theophilus Isah of MavaPay, building cross-border payments across Africa
  • Lorraine Marcel of Bitcoin Dada
  • Tuedon Tuoyo of the Bitcoin Dev Project
  • Jodom Konuko of Minmo
  • Daniel Mensah Dzansi of zazapay
  • Mubarak Muhammad Aminu of Tapnob
  • Michael Pelete of Bitcoin Victoria Falls
  • Grant Gombwa of Bitcoin Boma and Bitmsika, representing the local Malawi scene
  • Innocencia Ndembera of Women in Tech Malawi
  • EM of African Bitcoiners
  • Megasley of Africa Free Routing

The policy track is also stacked. Susie Violet Ward of Bitcoin Policy UK and Sandra Kimberley, a Bitcoin policy and regulatory affairs practitioner, are among the speakers. That matters this year. South Africa is rewriting its crypto exchange control rules, Ghana’s licensing regime is stuck waiting to open, and Kenya’s VASP Act is still being implemented. Expect plenty of hallway conversation about what regulators will do next.

Side events and ABC FEST

Beyond the main stage, several events are confirmed around the conference.

ABC FEST is the cultural finale. It is the closing celebration of ABC 2026 and brings together music, sport, food, and community.

  • December 4, AfroBit Concert. A new pan-African music platform launches in Blantyre, hosted by ABC LLC. Artists and audiences from across the continent are expected.
  • December 5, football match and food festival. African cuisine, sport, and community round out the week.

Africa Bitcoin Policy Forum and ABC Diaspora. ABC LLC also runs these programmes. Dates and formats for Blantyre have not been published yet.

Pan-African Bitcoin Tour. Bitcoin Ekasi and Gorilla Sats lead a 13-day expedition across 11 grassroots Bitcoin projects, taking in circular economies, community builders, and Victoria Falls. It shows Africa’s Bitcoin story “on the ground, not only on stage.” Check the African Bitcoiners events page for dates.

Community-hosted sessions. ABC invited select organisations to host their own panels, workshops, and side events inside the programme. Hosts own the content and logistics. Watch for announcements from ecosystem groups in the weeks ahead.

Build your first 11 for the football match

The December 5 match is a chance to meet the community off the conference floor. Now you can plan your squad before you land in Blantyre.

The official ABC Lineup Builder lets you:

  • Pick a formation: 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1, 3-5-2, 3-4-3, or 5-3-2
  • Drag players anywhere on the pitch
  • Rename each player and your team
  • Download the finished lineup as an image to share

Post your lineup on X with #ABC5thAnniversary, tag your community, and challenge other teams. Bragging rights in the Bitcoin world are worth more than they look.

Build your first 11 now

Why this edition matters

Africa’s Bitcoin year has been busy. The continent has seen Lightning developer bootcamps from Kisumu to Addis Ababa, the first African edition of Bitcoin++, the Kibera circular economy tour, a Bitcoin treasury company reaching the JSE Main Board, and banks moving into custody and retail access. ABC 2026 is where those threads meet in one room.

It is also a chance to test the “necessity over hype” thesis in person. The people building Africa’s Bitcoin infrastructure will be in Blantyre. So will the policymakers deciding what rules they work under.

What to do now

  1. Get your pass on the official tickets page.
  2. Book travel and lodging for Blantyre.
  3. Build your first 11 with the ABC Lineup Builder.
  4. Follow @AfroBitcoinOrg for programme updates and speaker announcements.

Twenty-three days. See you in Blantyre.

Sources

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