Bitcoin Lightning Developer Bootcamp Kicks Off in Johannesburg, Marking 10th Edition of Africa Free Routing Training Series

Johannesburg, South Africa — Africa Free Routing, in partnership with Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town, today officially kicked off the Johannesburg Bitcoin Lightning Developer Bootcamp, marking the 10th edition of the continental training series, which began in Nairobi in June 2024 and has now expanded across six African countries. The opening day welcomed more than 60 developers, engineers, and builders, reflecting the rapidly growing interest in Lightning Network development across the region.

The five-day intensive bootcamp, taking place at Workshop 17 in Sandton from February 9 to February 13, 2026, is designed to equip participants with hands-on technical skills required to build real-world Bitcoin and Lightning applications. Throughout the program, attendees will learn Bitcoin fundamentals, run and interact with Bitcoin Core nodes, develop Lightning-powered applications using multiple SDKs, and collaborate on projects that demonstrate practical Lightning payment integrations.

Organizers emphasize that the program is intentionally structured around practical implementation, ensuring participants leave with real deployment experience, working Lightning integrations, and the confidence to continue building open-source Bitcoin tools or launch Lightning-enabled products within their local ecosystems. Many alumni from previous editions have gone on to operate Lightning nodes, contribute to Bitcoin open-source projects, organize developer meetups, and build startups focused on Bitcoin-powered payment infrastructure across the continent.

The Johannesburg edition is made possible through the support of key ecosystem sponsors and partners committed to expanding Bitcoin developer education and open financial infrastructure across emerging markets. Sponsors and contributors supporting the bootcamp include Btrust, Human Rights Foundation, Opensats, African Bitcoiners, PlanB Network, Tether Africa, whose collaboration continues to make high-quality technical training accessible to African developers.

Beyond technical training, the bootcamp also serves as a platform for strengthening collaboration among developers, startups, and ecosystem organizations working across the African Bitcoin landscape. By bringing builders together in an intensive learning environment, the program helps foster long-term technical communities that continue to share knowledge, collaborate on projects, and mentor new developers entering the ecosystem.

As Bitcoin adoption continues to grow across Africa, Africa Free Routing’s Lightning Developer Bootcamp series plays an important role in building the technical talent required to design, deploy, and maintain scalable Lightning infrastructure. With the 10th edition now underway in Johannesburg, the initiative continues its mission of empowering the next generation of African Bitcoin developers who will help drive innovation, strengthen regional developer communities, and accelerate the development of Lightning-powered financial solutions across the continent.