A Bitcoin Circular Economy is a local ecosystem where goods and services are exchanged using Bitcoin as a medium of payment. This system empowers communities to build a self-sustaining financial environment that doesn’t rely on traditional banks. Instead, businesses, individuals, and institutions transact directly with each other, creating a closed-loop economy that thrives on Bitcoin.
Benefits of Bitcoin Circular Economy in Africa
- Financial Inclusion: Provides access to financial services for the unbanked and underbanked.
- Resilience: Reduces reliance on unstable national currencies and mitigates the impact of inflation.
- Lower Transaction Costs: Cuts down fees associated with traditional banking systems and remittances.
- Cross-Border Trade: Simplifies transactions across countries, making cross-boarder trading easier.
- Community Empowerment: Promotes local economic growth through direct peer-to-peer transactions.
List of Bitcoin Circular Economies in Africa
The following is a list of Bitcoin circular economies in Africa, all of which have received curriculum and funding support from Bitcoin Beach. These projects are empowering local communities by promoting Bitcoin adoption for everyday transactions and financial inclusion. The curriculum used is The Bitcoin Diploma by Mi Primer Bitcoin (My First Bitcoin) — an educational program that teaches the fundamentals of Bitcoin through hands-on learning, helping participants gain practical knowledge and confidence in using Bitcoin in their daily lives.
Bitcoin Dua (Ghana)
Bitcoin Dua educates and onboards Ghanaians into Bitcoin, focusing on financial literacy and community-driven economic empowerment in Agbozome, Ghana. The project teaches kids and merchants and provides mentorship to individuals on how to use and accept Bitcoin payments in Agbozome.
Bitcoin Ubuntu (South Africa)
Bitcoin Ubuntupromotes Bitcoin adoption in Swellendam, South Africa, through education and practical usage within the Ubuntu philosophy of community cooperation. Bitcoin Ubuntu is a volunteer organization offering free education and onboarding resources. The initiative runs a Bitcoin-only platform that provides online education, consultation and meetups, merchant and charity onboarding, and a Mi Primer Bitcoin light node.
Bitcoin Kampala (Uganda)
Bitcoin Kampala supports orphanages and local communities by using Bitcoin as a tool for donations and financial sustainability in Uganda . The objective is to reproduce successful Bitcoin experiments by establishing and sustaining a Bitcoin Circular Economy that caters to the residents of Uganda, starting from Kampala and Bugiri district. Additionally, the project aims to revitalize the community’s image to attract Bitcoin enthusiasts.
Kampala is the capital of Uganda, and Bugiri district is situated in the east, known for its agricultural activities, including subsistence farming of crops like rice, maize, millet, beans, and cassava, as well as fishing due to its proximity to Lake Victoria. The region boasts a diverse population, with various ethnic groups and cultures contributing to its vibrant community.
Bitcoin Vic Falls (Zambia)
Bitcoin Vic Falls has been building a Bitcoin economy in Livingstone since 2023, close to Victoria Falls, to empower locals and tourism-related businesses. Livingstone is known as the tourism capital of Zambia.
Bitcoin Witsand (South Africa)
Bitcoin Witsand is a grassroots movement in a small coastal village in the Western Cape, South Africa. The project focuses on educating coastal communities in Witsand about Bitcoin and its potential to improve financial autonomy.
Simply SowBtc (South Africa)
Simply SowBtc simplifies Bitcoin by providing practical knowledge and tools for everyday use. Raising Bitcoin awareness, promoting adoption, and fostering a thriving Bitcoin circular economy in Great Brak River in Mossel Bay. The project has supported 70+ children with food, clothes, nappies, milk formula, school necessities, and funds. On average, 18 kids received monthly necessities funded through Bitcoin. The soup kitchen feeds over 250 people weekly.
Bitcoin Loxion (South Africa)
Bitcoin Loxion is encouraging Bitcoin adoption in townships and fostering local business participation in the circular economy. Empowering Khayelitsha, one of South Africa’s largest townships in Cape Town, through Bitcoin-driven financial freedom, they teach Bitcoin, financial literacy, and self-sovereignty, equipping the community to take control of its economic future.
TofoBTC (Mozambique)
TofoBTC is developing a Bitcoin community in Tofo Beach, Mozambique, focusing on tourism and local commerce. The initiative helps Tofo Beach businesses accept payment via Bitcoin.
BtcBabies (Kenya)
Bitcoin Babies is a program designed to support mothers with newborns throughout their first year of life. The mothers in the Bitcoin Babies project in Kenya are working hard to give their babies a strong start in life. Every week, they receive $5 in Bitcoin, which helps them buy essential supplies and improve their financial independence. These mothers meet weekly to learn more about motherhood, entrepreneurship, and enhancing their mental and financial well-being.
Bitcoin Anambra (Nigeria)
Bitcoin Anambrais a grassroots Bitcoin adoption in Anambra, strengthening local commerce through digital transactions. Encouraging merchants in Anambra State to accept Bitcoin as payment for their goods and services.
Bitcoin Calabar (Nigeria)
Bitcoin Calabar fosters Bitcoin adoption in Calabar by onboarding businesses and individuals into the digital economy. The Calabar Bitcoin Club was founded to introduce a parallel financial ecosystem where residents could address their daily financial challenges, which include inflation, exclusion, censorship, remittance issues, and other limitations of traditional financial systems. Bitcoin presents a solution, not just as money but as a path to building a brighter future for Calabar. The project launched Bitcoin Club for Secondary Schools in 2023 and partnered with local businesses to accept Bitcoin as payment.
Bitcoin El Zera (South Africa)
Epic video! These kids know more about bitcoin than most politicians 😋
🍊History of money
🍊Characteristics of bitcoin
🍊How to get it
🍊How to keep it safeAll-in-one- …. mom!!🔥🚀 pic.twitter.com/9c4FpMj78B
— Bitcoin El Zera (@BitcoinElZera) November 19, 2024
Bitcoin El Zera creates awareness and encourages Bitcoin usage in El Zera Private School, Johannesburg, South Africa. It is on focused on economic empowerment through Bitcoin education at the elementary school level.
Afribit Kibera (Kenya)
Afribit Kibera empowers one of Africa’s largest informal settlements, Kibera, by integrating Bitcoin into daily life. This initiative builds a Bitcoin Circular Economy in Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums, home to over one million people in Nairobi, Kenya. Afribit empowers the community through financial inclusion, merchant adoption, youth empowerment, and education. By leveraging Bitcoin and the Lightning Network, Afribit enables underserved communities to earn, save, and transact without traditional financial barriers.
Bitcoin Karoo (South Africa)
Bitcoin Karoo builds a Bitcoin ecosystem in the Karoo region, promoting financial independence. Thanks to their work, a number of businesses now accept Bitcoin, including De Rust Vet Clinic, Village Trading Post Coffee Shop, Beansie Coffee Cafe, Freda Schoeman Handmade, Pluim Eatery, and more.
SowetoBtc (South Africa)
SowetoBtc is a Bitcoin-only education and mentorship program that aims to provide Bitcoin financial education to underprivileged South African youth. The program also works to onboard small to medium businesses in Soweto into accepting Bitcoin as an alternative payment system to traditional finance.
Bitcoin Plett (South Africa)
Bitcoin Plett builds a Bitcoin community in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, centered on tourism and local commerce. As of March 2025, the town now has more than 50 locations where you can spend Bitcoin, including gyms, a pharmacy, doctors, accommodation, vets, electrical and plumbing services, and many more.
Volschenk Primary School (South Africa)
Volschenk Primary School integrates Bitcoin education into the curriculum and sports, giving students practical exposure to digital finance. Volschenk Primary’s 1st Rugby team will be championing a kit with “Study Bitcoin.” Volschenk Primary School is located in Riversdale, a small countryside town in the Southern Cape of South Africa. Due to budget constraints, Bitcoiners have stepped up and sponsored the school’s new 2025 season clothing kit.
BtcShule (Burundi)
BtcShule transforms the village of Winteko, Burundi, into a self-sustaining, Bitcoin-powered community. BTC Shule leverages the power of Bitcoin to empower local residents by providing access to financial inclusion, renewable energy, and education through a Bitcoin-based circular economy. The project has installed solar power to provide electricity to the village, helping businesses, households, and local services to thrive. Residents pay for electricity using Bitcoin, thereby normalizing its use in the community.
Bitcoin Githurai (Kenya)
Bitcoin Githurai introduces Bitcoin to Githurai, a densely populated area in Nairobi, enabling residents to transact without reliance on banks. Promoting merchant onboarding, social empowerment, and Bitcoin education.
Bitcoin Chama (Kenya)
Bitcoin Chama leverages traditional “chama” savings groups to integrate Bitcoin as a store of value. A Chama is when a group of people who trust each other come together and contribute to the same pool of funds, which is then given to a different member each time they meet. The Bitcoin Circular Economy is located in Kisii, Kenya, a county of approximately 1.5 million people.
SisonkeBTC (South Africa)
SisonkeBTC empowers communities through Bitcoin education and promoting local business adoption in South Africa. The mission of Bitcoin Sisonke involves a multi-faceted approach encompassing education through community engagement. They facilitate partnerships with local businesses to integrate Bitcoin as an alternative payment method and create adoption incentives through reward-based programs where users can earn sats by using Bitcoin for payments to support the ecosystem.
Bitcoin Arusha (Tanzania)
Bitcoin Arusha onboards local businesses and individuals in Arusha to use Bitcoin as a medium of exchange. Arusha is a tourist capital in Tanzania, the capital of the East African Community, hosting the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and a center of international diplomacy.
Pioneering Bitcoin Adoption in Africa
These communities represent the spirit of self-reliance and innovation, leveraging Bitcoin to reshape economies across Africa. As they grow, they not only empower their local regions but also inspire a continent-wide movement toward financial freedom.
Bitcoin’s potential in Africa is vast, and these communities are leading the charge toward a more inclusive and resilient financial future.
