Btrust-backed DevFest Kaduna Bitcoin Build-a-thon kicks off with a massive turnout as builders race an 8 PM deadline
The DevFest Kaduna Bitcoin Build-a-thon, with Btrust as its main sponsor, is underway in Kaduna. The hackathon kicked off today, Thursday 29 October, and developers are now racing to finish their projects before submissions close at 8 PM tonight.
Africa Bitcoin News was on the ground. Although the Build-a-thon started later than planned, the turnout was massive, and the room has been busy with builders since.
What builders are working on
Teams are building new Bitcoin and Lightning applications from scratch, or contributing directly to open-source Bitcoin projects. They are competing for prize pools put up for the event.
The groundwork was laid last week, when a 4-day virtual technical class run with Btrust covered Bitcoin basics, the Lightning Network and LND, Bitcoin SDKs and APIs, and open-source contribution.
What happens next at the DevFest Kaduna Bitcoin Build-a-thon
- Today, Thursday 29 October, 8 PM: project submissions close. Organisers are urging every team to submit before the deadline.
- Friday 30 October, 2 PM: teams demo their projects.
- Saturday 31 October: winners are announced at DevFest Kaduna.
Why it matters
Btrust funded the DevFest Kaduna Bitcoin track through its 2026 event grants. Its bet is that a Bitcoin track inside an established developer festival reaches engineers who have the skills but are not yet building on Bitcoin.
Today’s turnout suggests that bet is paying off in Northern Nigeria. Whether those developers keep building after the prizes are handed out is the real test.
Africa Bitcoin News will report on the demos and the winners.