Africa Free Routing Concludes 10th Lightning Developer Bootcamp in Johannesburg
Africa Free Routing successfully concluded its 10th Lightning Developer Bootcamp on Friday, February 13, in Johannesburg, marking another major milestone in the organization’s mission to expand Bitcoin and Lightning Network development capacity across Africa.
The multi-day intensive program brought together developers, engineers, and Bitcoin enthusiasts from across the continent to gain hands-on experience building real-world applications powered by the Lightning Network. Participants engaged in technical workshops covering payment channels, routing optimization, Lightning infrastructure deployment, and application-level integrations designed to support scalable Bitcoin payments.
The bootcamp culminated in a hackathon and demo session where teams presented innovative Lightning-based solutions, ranging from micropayment platforms to merchant payment tools tailored for African markets. Organizers noted a significant increase in both the technical depth of projects and the number of developers building production-ready applications compared to earlier cohorts, reflecting the rapid maturation of the African Lightning developer ecosystem.
According to Africa Free Routing leadership, the 10th edition represents an important milestone in a broader continental strategy to build a robust network of African Lightning developers capable of supporting businesses, startups, and financial innovators adopting Bitcoin payments. Since launching the program, the organization has trained hundreds of developers through bootcamps hosted in multiple African cities, contributing to the steady growth of Lightning infrastructure and developer talent across the region.
Participants also received mentorship from experienced Lightning engineers and industry contributors, gaining guidance on best practices for node management, security, and scalable application design. Several standout teams are expected to continue refining their projects after the bootcamp, with potential support from partner organizations and ecosystem grants.
Organizers also confirmed that preparations are already underway for the next edition of the Lightning Developer Bootcamp, scheduled to take place in Kampala this March. The upcoming program is expected to bring together a new cohort of developers from East Africa, continuing the organization’s commitment to building a strong, distributed network of Lightning developers across the continent.
The Kampala bootcamp will build on the momentum of the Johannesburg edition, offering expanded technical sessions, deeper infrastructure-focused workshops, and another hands-on hackathon designed to encourage participants to create practical Lightning-powered solutions tailored to African payment and financial use cases.