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Bitcoin++ Nairobi: Africa’s Open-Source Bitcoin Moment Shines Bright

SA
BY SATOSHEE
Verified Contributor
| 3H AGO | 3 MIN READ |
bitcoin++ nairobi
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The first-ever African Bitcoin++ conference is currently underway in Nairobi. Specifically, the technical event takes place at the PrideInn Azure Towers. Running from June 17 to June 19, 2026, the gathering hosts global developers and researchers. Furthermore, strong local attendance highlights the region’s steady contributions to open-source software.

Local communities like BitDevs Nairobi organized the event alongside title sponsor Btrust. Btrust operates as a non-profit entity to decentralize software development across the Global South. Consequently, Bitcoin++ Nairobi emphasizes hands-on workshops, hackathons, and deep protocol discussions. Unlike previous editions in Austin or Berlin, this conference explicitly focuses on African builders.

 African Contributions Front and Center

African developers are not just attending, they are leading sessions and driving technical discussions. Btrust has been instrumental in amplifying these voices through grants, training programs, and builder communities, resulting in a visible surge of contributors from the continent.

Notable talks include:

  • John Osezele (@john_osezele) demonstrated how developers can build cross-platform Bitcoin wallets for iOS and Android using Flutter and bdk-dart bindings from Bitcoin Dev Kit. He highlighted a real-world integration with Bull Bitcoin’s mobile wallet, making mobile Bitcoin development more accessible.

  • Kelvinator05 (@kelvinator05) explored the role of AI in Bitcoin open-source development on the main stage, discussing where it adds value, necessary cautions to preserve Bitcoin’s resilience, and responsible practices for contributors.

  • TChileta broke down the BTCPay Server plugin system, showing how it transforms a self-hosted payment processor into a flexible, extensible platform and guiding attendees on building plugins from scratch.
Other African-led sessions covered topics like Replace-By-Fee implementations in Lightning Dev Kit (by Camilla_rhi), onion messages for Lightning communication (by Thevelopher), policy-based signing for secure Lightning infrastructure (by SulaimanAminuB2), and internals of projects like Bark VTXOs (presented by matthewvuk2, with a dedication to a former Btrust grantee).

Developing Local Talent

Currently, an interactive hackathon is fostering collaborative building on open-source software. This activity directly reflects the multi-year educational programs established by Btrust. The organization has awarded over $2 million in fellowships to Global Majority contributors. Consequently, regional software talent increasingly contributes to vital projects like Bitcoin Core.

A Milestone for the Ecosystem

Local organizers view Bitcoin++ Nairobi as a vital collaborative platform. The event allows African engineers to contribute directly to global software infrastructure. Therefore, the high-quality technical content signals a maturing regional talent pool.

The conference runs through June 19 with deeper technical sessions scheduled. Interested individuals can follow updates from the official event handles online from @btrustteam and @btcplusplus for highlights

 
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