UNAJUA S9 EP1: What is Web3? feat. Michael Kimani

Is the fanfare surrounding ‘Web3’ well-deserved? Blockchain tech entrepreneur Michael Kimani wades through the hype.

UNAJUA S9 EP1: What is Web3? feat. Michael Kimani

Subscribe to the podcast wherever you listen

In this opening episode of an UNAJUA Series focused on demystifying the ‘Web3’ trend and unpacking how it is unfolding within an African context, Michael Kimani offers ‘minimum viable responses’ to pertinent crowdsourced questions.

Michael is a Kenyan blockchain enthusiast, data wrangler and entrepreneur based in Nairobi. Michael has advised numerous Africa-focused blockchain projects and is currently co-founder at airtime digital money marketplace, Fonbnk, where he spearheads growth for African markets.

On this podcast, Michael tackles the question, What is Web3? by answering two related sub-questions:

How has the internet experience of the everyday African evolved since they began to adopt its use in earnest in the 2010s?

and

How might we frame the potential impact of the Web3 trend on the continent’s digital transformation journey?

Click here (or on the microphone icon on the right of your screen) to leave us a 60-sec voice note with your reactions to any of the topics raised in the UNAJUA Series. (We will include some of your audio takes in future follow-up episodes.)

Useful References:

TV SHOW: Halt and Catch Fire by Christopher Cantwell and Christopher C. Rogers

PODCAST: ‘Play-to-Earn’ Gaming and How Work is Evolving in Web3 by Arianna Simpson, Gabby Dizon, Jeffrey Zirlin & Zoran Basich (a16z)

TWITTER THREAD: In 1998, frustrated by Western ignorance about Africa, Mo Ibrahim decided to take advantage of the continent’s enormous telecom opportunity himself by @pesa_africa (Michael Kimani)

THINK PIECE: How Nokia and Prepaid Airtime Fractionalization Gave Rise to Africa’s Digital Economy: Guest Post by Niti Bhan by Michael Kimani (Kioneki)

WIKI PAGE: Epic Games v. Apple by Wikipedia

PODCAST: China's Role in East Africa's Technology Stack by The China Africa Project

Editorial Disclaimer: While the Celo Community Fund supports this UNAJUA Series, African Tech Roundup maintains complete editorial oversight. Opinions expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the African Tech Roundup or the presenting sponsor, Celo Community Fund.