- Yesterday, Nairobi hosted the IOTA East Africa Web3 Innovation Summit, where developers, policymakers, and industry leaders gathered.
- The focus was on tackling real-world challenges facing East Africa, from improving trade and logistics to driving sustainable solutions with Web3 technology.
Blockchain technology is not just a buzzword in East Africa; it is now a tool for innovation. Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and Tanzania are countries that are using decentralized technologies to drive growth and solve regional challenges. Leading the way is Nairobi, a tech hub that’s fast becoming a hotspot for blockchain adoption.
On May 30, the city played host to the IOTA East Africa Web3 Innovation Summit. The one-day event was organized by CIO Africa, a publication at the forefront of business and technology reporting in the region. The summit involved a wide range of voices. Developers and technologists, trade experts and public sector leaders, to discuss how IOTA’s decentralized ledger technology is being used to solve real-world problems.
The summit brought in Dominik Schiener, Co-Founder and Chair of the IOTA Foundation. The latter took the stage alongside TLIP Technical Team Lead at IOTA, Isaac Odhiambo, and Erick Sirali, who is the Digital Trade Director at TradeMark Africa.
Key Highlights from the Summit
IOTA made the announcement of IOTA Identity v1.6 Beta, a major update to IOTA’s decentralized identity system. As discussed earlier, it is built on the new MoveVM, thus it is in line with W3C standards. The tool introduces improved Decentralized Identifier (DID) communication, making identity management more secure and user-friendly across platforms.
The developers there got a chance to jump right in and try out the new features, using fresh tools to build everything from digital IDs to tokenization and digital twins, basically opening the door to some really exciting new possibilities.
The summit also featured a live demonstration of IOTA’s TLIP system, showcasing how it can streamline global supply chains through real-time data exchange. CIO Africa and other partners shared live updates from the event across social media, emphasizing the growing momentum behind IOTA’s mission in Africa.
Another point of focus was the newly launched TWIN Foundation, a collaborative initiative led by the IOTA Foundation, alongside global partners like the World Economic Forum (WEF), TradeMark Africa, the Chartered Institute of Exporters and International Trade, the Global Alliance for Trade Facilitation, and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change. This alliance is working together to create standards and best practices for how data and technology are used in global trade, moving blockchain efforts from isolated pilots to real, scalable solutions.
Beyond all the demos, the summit also sparked conversations about what’s coming next. This includes the IOTA Moveathon, an initiative encouraging developers to build apps with IOTA’s tools, particularly using MoveVM. After its East Africa edition, IOTA is heading to Malaysia.
As also explained in our blog post, the event is planned to be from July 19 to 21. Those in attendance will have the chance to build new solutions that align with this growing ecosystem.
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