Bitcoin DADA Mid-Year Report
Growth? Verified. Impact? On-chain. Six months of proof-of-work from Bitcoin Dada. Here are the receipts!
Three years ago, we started with no funding and no fanfare. Just a handful of women, a WhatsApp chat, and one question: what would it look like if we built for ourselves? We kept things simple, learn, build, share and somehow, that rhythm caught on. It’s been far from perfect, but the blocks kept stacking.
This mid-year update is a moment to pause, trace our footprints from January to July, and be honest about the path forward.
Here’s what this update covers:
- Educating at scale through Cohorts 8 and 9, now reaching 12 African countries
- Expanding technical capacity via Dada Devs Cohort 2 and our first open-source contributions
- Launching the Dada Tutors Program, decentralizing education with certified female trainers
- Spotlighting alumni building real-world Bitcoin tools and communities (like Tando and BitcoinLoxion)
- Hosting major events across the continent, from Africa Bitcoin Day to the Nigeria Bitcoin Summit
- Forging key partnerships, including Gridless and the Africa Bitcoin Conference
- Building real-life tools, like SatsFlow, a Bitcoin-integrated period tracker
1. Education & Empowerment: Turning Knowledge into Action
We’ve always believed that education is where it starts but not where it ends.
Bitcoin Dada Cohorts: Building a New Class of Financial Leaders
In March, we concluded Cohort 8 with a powerful closing session featuring Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation, who spoke on the transformative role of Bitcoin in advancing human rights.
He reminded our students that Bitcoin is not just a financial tool, but a human rights lifeline — a reminder that landed deeply with learners from across the continent.
By July, we welcomed our most diverse cohort yet, Cohort 9, now including students from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where years of currency instability have left people trading sacks of flour instead of banknotes. The curriculum continues to evolve, grounded in the lived experiences of our students. It speaks their language: inflation, exclusion, and the fight for sovereignty.
Dada Devs: Engineering Confidence and Code
Why don’t more women, especially African women, enter Bitcoin development? It’s a question we hear often, and the answer is straightforward: limited exposure, access, and funding.
But change is underway. This April, we launched Dada Devs Cohort 2, selecting 62 skilled female engineers from over 100 applications spanning Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, and Tanzania. This program directly addresses those barriers, providing the tools, mentorship, and community African women need to begin building in the Bitcoin space.
The momentum accelerated in June with an intensive technical workshop led by seasoned Bitcoin developers, including Naiyoma – one of Africa’s first female contributors to Bitcoin Core. Participants dove deep into fundamental concepts: wallets, transactions, blocks, and nodes. They gained hands-on experience with GitHub, learned essential scripting techniques, and explored real-world applications alongside viable career pathways within the Bitcoin ecosystem.
The impact was immediate and profound. As one participant reflected: “This space finally feels like it was made with us in mind.”
Scaling Through Educators: Decentralizing Knowledge
At the start of the year, when we opened applications for Cohort 8, we received nearly 700 submissions in just 72hrs! The demand was overwhelming, we had to close the form early. In the end, only 150 students were admitted.
It was a good problem to have, a clear signal that more and more women are searching for alternatives to broken financial systems. But turning away 550 applicants kept us awake at night. So we built a solution that would scale beyond our team: The Dada Tutors Program.
In July, our first cohort of certified tutors graduated equipped to deliver localized, contextualized Bitcoin training across the continent. And the impact is already clear. Cohort 9 is learning in an environment shaped by those who came before them. We are already seeing the impact this is having on the recent applicants, Cohort 9.
This initiative marks a major leap in decentralizing education while maintaining the quality and consistency that Bitcoin Dada is known for.
Alumni: Proof That the Work Pays Off
Truth be told, earning a certificate after 8–12 weeks of training is great but for us, it’s what comes next that really matters. We challenge our community to go beyond the classroom and start building solutions that address real-world problems.
We’re proud of alumni who’ve taken up the mantle and turned knowledge into action:
- BitcoinLoxion, a bitcoin circular economy in South Africa
- Tando, an app enabling everyday Bitcoin spending in Kenya
- BitBiashara, an initiative onboarding local businesses to the Bitcoin standard
This is a direct ripple effect of what happens when women are trusted to lead.
More POW
2. Events & Ecosystem Growth: Showing Up & Standing Out
Remember when we were just attendees? Now we’re the ones setting the agenda and passing the mic forward.
The Africa Bitcoin Tour
Four countries. Nearly 800 people reached from curious first-timers to seasoned devs and community builders.
How did we get here? Let’s start with the big stage: Adopting Bitcoin Cape Town — an annual gathering of regulators, fintechs, maxis, and entrepreneurs, all working to fill the gaps left by failing institutions and broken infrastructure.
Bitcoin Dada was in the mix. Our founder spoke alongside three other Alumna pushing the space forward in their own right – Sabina of Tando, Thulisa of BitcoinLoxion, and Sharon representing the Btrust Builders program. Different paths, same goal: building tools that speak to the realities we live with daily.
April came, and we made a bold move: our first-ever Bitcoin summit in Nigeria. And yoh, the response? Overwhelming.
One thing about Nigerians, they’re solution-oriented. If it’s broken, they’re already building a workaround. Best believe people were ready to turn problems into prototypes by the time the event ended. Big shout out to our sponsors Africa Bitcoin Conference, Bitnob, Yakihonne and Trezor.
For the third year in a row, we hosted Africa Bitcoin Day Kenya and the energy was unmatched. The event brought together passionate minds across policy, tech, and grassroots communities to explore African-led innovation, inclusive infrastructure, and the future of Bitcoin on the continent. It was a celebration of creativity, connection, and Africa’s growing resolve to reclaim financial freedom.
And finally: Uganda, Kampala.
If you ever doubted the hunger for this knowledge, try hosting a Bitcoin meetup and watching locals from 20 to 60+ yr olds fill every seat in the room and then some.
We talked about nodes, wallets and laughed at scams. And we broke the myth that Bitcoin is “too complicated” for the average person. It’s not. It just hasn’t been explained in a language that feels like home. Until now.
3. Partnerships & Innovation: Collaborating for Impact
No movement grows in isolation. Ours is no exception.
Strategic Partnerships that Move the Needle
Beyond theory, Bitcoin DADA organizes hands-on workshops, bootcamps, and even immersive learning trips. Earlier this year in February, we partnered with Gridless Compute to take our community on a mining trip to a rural Bitcoin mine in Kenya. The site is uniquely powered by sisal biomass, showcasing how renewable energy can drive both innovation and inclusion.
The biggest announcement came in July: the launch of the ABC-Dada Fellowship in partnership with the Africa Bitcoin Conference. It offers African women mentorship, leadership training, and the tools to thrive in Bitcoin plus a fully funded trip to Mauritius for #ABC25.
This marks a bold move to elevate African women in spaces where their voices have been missing for too long.
Building Tools that Center Us
Behind the scenes, we’ve been quietly developing SatsFlow, a Bitcoin-integrated period tracker that allows women to track their cycle and receive satoshi-based gifts. It’s a simple idea, grounded in real life, where Bitcoin becomes part of care, not just commerce.
Our Mid-Year By the Numbers
| Category | Progress |
| Women Trained | 300+ Across Multiple Programs |
| Dada Devs Onboarded | 62 in Cohort 2 |
| Alumni Spotlights | 10+ Featured Across Africa |
| Bitcoin Events Hosted | 4 (Nigeria Bitcoin Summit, Africa Bitcoin Day, Next Block Uganda, Dev Workshop) |
| Expansion | 3+ purpose-trained tutors and running |
| New Initiatives Launched | ABC-Dada Fellowship, SatsFlow MVP |
| Strategic Partnerships | Africa Bitcoin Conference |
What’s Ahead (Aug–Dec 2025)
- Onboarding the first cohort of ABC-Dada Fellows
- Launching Cohort 10 and expanding Dev training
- Hosting our 3-day Dada Devs Bootcamp in Nairobi
- Beta-testing SatsFlow with community feedback
- Expanding to Francophone Africa
- Showing up strong at ABC25 in Mauritius and the ABC Diaspora Workshop in Boston
Final Word
We often say that Bitcoin is for everyone. But “everyone” means nothing if it doesn’t include African women.
This year, we’ve done more than teach. We’ve challenged ourselves. We’ve built. We’ve led.
If you’ve ever wondered whether this work matters, here’s your answer:
It matters and it’s moving.
Apply to the ABC-Dada Fellowship by August 15: afrobitcoin.org/abcdada
Want to support or partner with us? Email: info@btcdada.com
