Africa is home to nearly a million developers and a flourishing entrepreneurial spirit across diverse industries, with blockchain technology gaining significant traction. The continent's potential to lead in blockchain innovation is clear, yet many tech entrepreneurs still face critical hurdles, including limited access to funding, quality mentorship, and a lack of suitable infrastructure etc. to name a few. Given that Africa accounts for nearly 20% of the global population and has a median age of just 18.8 years, this youthful demographic represents a formidable force for innovation. This potential is already being recognized, with 15 African companies recently featured in the top 100 global startup ecosystems. However, despite these promising developments, securing sustainable revenues and attracting new sources of funding within the continent remain difficult. Over 75% of funding comes from outside the continent.

At Lisk, we’re committed to changing that dynamic. Through our African Blockchain Incubation Hub, we aim to empower local entrepreneurs, enabling them to secure sustainable revenues and attract new sources of funding, ensuring that Africa's innovations are not just recognized but fully supported from within the continent.

We were really humbled and inspired by the impressive number of projects participating in the program. After a rigorous selection process, we are thrilled to announce that 23 groundbreaking startups have been chosen to move forward. These innovative projects are tackling a diverse range of challenges, from enhancing financial inclusion and revolutionizing supply chain transparency to improving healthcare delivery and helping freelancers get their hard earned money swiftly and securely. Each of these startups is harnessing the power of blockchain to drive meaningful change across Africa, and we are excited to see how they will continue to evolve and impact their respective industries.

Today, we're shining a spotlight on five remarkable projects that are boldly addressing some of Africa's most pressing challenges. These initiatives are not only ambitious but also creatively driven, offering unique, innovative, and practical solutions to existing problems. Join us as we dive deeper into the minds of their founders, exploring how they conceived these ideas, the specific issues they are tackling, and what drives their passion. We'll also discuss how the Lisk community and the broader can support their journey and contribute to their success.

#1. Health AI

Industry: Healthtech

HealthAI sits at the intersection of healthtech, AI, and blockchain, seamlessly combining these technologies to revolutionize how individuals manage their health. The platform ensures that users have full control over their health data, keeping it both secure and transparent.

A close friend of the founders of this project had a close encounter with death when he had to deal with an unexpected heart attack while playing hockey this year. Fiona, one of the platform's co-founders, shares that witnessing a close friend's brush with death and reading the book Outlive by Peter Attia profoundly influenced her decision to join the project much earlier than she had anticipated. The team's mission is to create a world where individuals have true ownership of their health data, ensuring it remains in their control.

In her own words: "Current healthcare systems (Medicine 2.0) are focused on treating diseases after they arise, rather than preventing them in the first place (Medicine 3.0), as demonstrated by the fact that only 3% of global healthcare spend is on prevention. Imagine a world where individuals have the ability to take control of their own health, and that of their loved ones, where preventative healthcare is the norm, and where health data is secure, transparent, and truly owned by the user. That’s HealthAI."

Additionally, the impact we can have on global health challenges is huge, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where annual per capita spend on healthcare is less than $100. Prevention of chronic diseases can become the norm by pushing the boundaries of AI and blockchain, and any other additional emerging tech that comes our way.

Why Lisk?

Fiona mentions that choosing to build HealthAI on the Lisk blockchain comes with several strategic advantages that align perfectly with the project’s mission of revolutionizing preventative healthcare.

She adds that Lisk's interoperable model allows for scalability without overloading the main chain. This is particularly important for HealthAI’s healthcare application, which will need to handle large volumes of data and transactions as they grow, without compromising performance.

She’s also impressed by the future-proofing abilities and longevity of Lisk which inspires confidence in her that the startup can continue to adopt new technologies and standards as they emerge, ensuring that HealthAI will always remain at the forefront of blockchain advancements.

You can get connected with HealthAI on their website, Facebook and LinkedIn.

#2. Shamba Data

Industry: Agritech

Kondwani Ngulube, the founder of Shamba, identifies traceability and quality compliance as the most pressing challenges faced by farmers and food processors in managing their supply chains.

"Food Processors and Farmers fail to penetrate formal retail and export markets because they cannot track and demonstrate all the inputs and processes used to grow, produce, and package food products," he shared. "As a result, it's hard to assess their product quality and safety."

He founded Shamba with a deep commitment to addressing the challenges faced by farmers in Africa, particularly those in informal markets. After interviewing over 100 farmers, he was struck by the severe lack of market support and guidance they receive. For example, Dorothy, an onion farmer, lost 40% of her produce because she couldn’t navigate demand and pricing dynamics or assess the quality of her goods, keeping her out of formal markets. With his background in software engineering and a passion for machine learning, Kondwani saw the potential for blockchain technology to make a scalable impact in agriculture, a sector crucial to African economies.

To address these challenges, Shamba integrates blockchain technology to provide a transparent and verifiable record of the entire production process. By using Shamba’s platform, farmers and food processors can document and share every step of their supply chain, from the sourcing of raw materials to the final product. This not only enhances traceability but also ensures that the quality and safety of food products meet the stringent requirements of formal markets.

Why Lisk?

Kondwani highlights that Lisk's blockchain platform is integral to Shamba's traceability technology. By recording product and farm information on the platform, this data is saved as a QR code on the Lisk blockchain, ensuring that every step in the production process is verifiable. This integration offers several key advantages:

• Transparency: Lisk allows food processors to demonstrate the exact origin and quality of their raw materials, giving them a competitive edge by showcasing the sustainability and safety of their products.
• Recall Analysis: In the event of a product recall, Shamba's blockchain-based traceability tool helps quickly identify the source of contamination, reducing costs and protecting the company’s reputation.
• Efficiency and Scalability: Lisk's platform enables food processors and farmers to analyze supply chain costs and performance, with future plans to integrate machine learning for demand forecasting and cost reduction.

These features make Lisk an ideal choice for supporting Shamba’s mission to enhance supply chain transparency and efficiency in the agricultural sector.

One of the defining features of Shamba is its integration of climate prediction technology. Shamba leverages satellite, weather, and farmland data to create machine learning models that predict potential risks throughout the farming cycle—particularly during the planting, growth, and harvesting stages. For instance, when the El Niño winds of 2023 led to drought conditions across Southern Africa, Shamba was able to recommend that farmers adjust their planting schedules and switch from rain-fed to irrigation-based systems. Looking ahead, Shamba plans to partner with input and insurance companies to create affordable farm-input purchasing schemes based on these climate predictions, further empowering farmers to make informed, proactive decisions.

You can get connected with Shamba data and stay updated on their latest features through their website.

#3. HostIT

Industry: EventTech

HostIT was created to tackle some of the most significant challenges in the event management industry, particularly ticket fraud and the complexities surrounding payment refunds. The platform leverages Web3 technology to provide decentralized ticketing, which enhances security, transparency, and efficiency in the ticketing process, significantly reducing the risk of fraud. Additionally, HostIT uses smart contracts to automate the refund process in case of event cancellations, ensuring that refunds are processed securely and without hassle.

Olorunsogo Banwo, the founder of HostIT got the inspiration for HostIT after witnessing the pervasive issues within the event industry, such as ticket fraud, lack of transparency, and high fees. The team recognized that most event platforms are centralized, giving them control over attendee and organizer data. HostIT is motivated by the potential of decentralized identity verification, social tokens, and community governance to revolutionize the event management industry and create a more equitable and transparent future for all participants.

In his own words: "Ticket fraud and payment refunds are the biggest challenges we see in the current event management industry. By implementing decentralized ticketing and automating refunds through smart contracts, we can ensure secure, transparent, and efficient transactions, making the event experience better for both organizers and attendees."

How HostIT Streamlines Event Management

HostIT simplifies the event management process by automating ticketing and refunds, which not only makes transactions more secure but also reduces the administrative burden on event organizers. The platform also offers innovative solutions such as integration with the Proof of Attendance Protocol (POAP), allowing attendees to receive digital badges as proof of their participation. Moreover, HostIT provides real-time event updates and analytics, enhancing transparency and allowing both event organizers and attendees to stay informed throughout the event.

Why Lisk?

The decision to build HostIT on the Lisk L2 blockchain was driven by several key factors, including scalability, cost efficiency, speed, and interoperability with other OP stack blockchains within the Superchain. By choosing Lisk, HostIT is able to optimize performance and cost-effectiveness while ensuring the trust and security that users expect from a blockchain-based platform. This strategic choice allows HostIT to deliver a high-quality, reliable, and trustworthy service as it continues to grow and scale.

You can connect with HostIT and stay updated on their latest events through their X page.

#4. Blockroll

Industry: DeFi

Blockroll was founded to address the significant payment challenges faced by freelancers in Nigeria, where existing platforms often fall short due to high fees, delayed transactions, and restrictions. The platform leverages blockchain technology to provide instant, low-cost payments, allowing freelancers to easily convert earnings into local currencies or use them directly for everyday needs. This approach not only simplifies the payment process but also ensures that freelancers receive their full earnings without the burden of excessive fees.

Inspired by their own experiences as freelancers where they faced significant challenges in receiving payments, the team recognized the growing population of digital and remote workers in Nigeria and were driven to create a reliable solution that not only simplifies payments but also empowers freelancers. Their passion lies in providing a platform that helps freelancers secure their earnings and offers additional avenues for improving their livelihoods, contributing positively to the economy.

In their own words: "Nigerian freelancers face numerous payment challenges, including unreliable platforms, high fees, and delayed transactions. With Blockroll, we provide instant payments at extremely low fees, enabling users to receive thousands of dollars from other countries quickly and easily convert it to local currencies or use it directly on our platform."

How Blockroll Ensures Secure and Efficient Payments

Blockroll stands out by adhering to industry standards to ensure the security, reliability, and efficiency of payment transactions. The platform collaborates with partners known for their reliability, implements data encryption, and follows standard KYC processes to safeguard user data. What sets Blockroll apart from other payment platforms is its hybrid approach, combining fiat and crypto-based solutions to offer freelancers greater flexibility and additional tools to help them grow and thrive in their careers.

Why Lisk?

Blockroll's decision to build on the Lisk blockchain aligns with its goal of offering fast, secure, and scalable payment solutions. Lisk’s infrastructure allows Blockroll to support instant transactions with minimal fees, and its interoperability with other Optimism chains and the broader EVM ecosystem provides users with the flexibility to move stablecoins across different blockchain environments. Additionally, Lisk’s security features, transparency, and strong network of industry leaders give Blockroll the confidence to deliver a trustworthy service as it scales.

You can connect with Blockroll and learn more about their platform through their website and Whatsapp community.

#5. Pepper DEX

Industry: DeFi

Pepper DEX was created to address the unique challenges faced by users in emerging markets, where the current state of decentralized exchanges (DEXs) is often limited by a focus on crypto-to-crypto trades and a lack of support for fiat currencies. This limitation makes it difficult and expensive for users in these regions to convert their local currencies directly into cryptocurrencies and vice versa. Emerging market currencies are frequently characterized by extreme volatility and illiquidity, leading to fragmented liquidity pools, high fees, and inefficient cross-border transactions—issues that can result in significant financial losses, estimated at up to $120 billion annually.

In their own words: "The current state of decentralized exchanges is largely focused on crypto-to-crypto trades, offering limited support for fiat currencies, especially those from emerging markets. This makes it challenging and costly for users in these regions to convert their local currencies directly to cryptocurrencies. Our DEX addresses these challenges by simplifying the process of converting local currencies to cryptocurrencies and enabling direct fiat-to-fiat transactions on the blockchain, thereby reducing costs and improving liquidity for users."

The inspiration behind Pepper DEX came from the firsthand experiences of the founder duo, Emmanuel Amodu and Abayomi Ayomide, whose first hand experienceswith the inefficiencies and challenges in decentralized finance (DeFi), particularly within emerging markets. Witnessing these issues, they recognized an opportunity to bring emerging market currencies on-chain, creating a more equitable and inclusive financial system. Their passion for financial empowerment and belief in blockchain’s potential to democratize access to financial services drive their commitment to making a meaningful impact through Pepper DEX.

How does 0xPepper Solve Problems in Trading and Finance?

Pepper DEX solves several critical issues in the trading and finance sectors within emerging markets. These include:

• Volatility and Illiquidity: Emerging market currencies often suffer from extreme volatility and illiquidity. Pepper DEX creates a multi-fiat stablecoin ecosystem that supports a range of fiat-backed stablecoins, providing liquidity and stability for these currencies.
• Costly Onramp and Off-Ramp Fees: By allowing direct on-chain swaps between different fiat-backed stablecoins, Pepper reduces the need for costly intermediate conversions, making cross-border transactions more efficient and affordable.
• Credit Solutions: Unlike traditional crypto-backed loan providers that issue loans in USDC, Pepper allows users to borrow in fiat-backed stablecoins denominated in their native currency, mitigating the risk of currency devaluation and reducing repayment costs.

Why Lisk?

Pepper DEX chose to build on the Lisk blockchain due to its scalability, security, and cross-chain capabilities. Lisk’s infrastructure enables Pepper to expand liquidity and improve swap routes by connecting with various blockchain ecosystems, offering users better rates and more options. This integration enhances the overall trading experience, ensuring that Pepper can deliver a reliable and user-friendly platform as it scales.

You can connect with Pepper DEX and stay updated on their latest features through their X.

At Lisk, we're more committed than ever to support these innovators as they pave the way for meaningful change in emerging markets. The potential of blockchain to democratize access, enhance transparency, and drive economic growth is undeniable, and we're thrilled to be at the forefront of this movement. As these startups grow and scale, we’re confident that their impact will ripple across the continent, showcasing the true power of blockchain technology in creating a better, more inclusive future.