The Economics of Blockchain within Africa

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Date
2023-02
Authors
Thegeya, Aaron
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Volume Title
Publisher
African Economic Research Consortium
Abstract
Blockchain technology offers the potential to transform economic activity and improve living standards in Africa by overcoming information asymmetry problems, property rights and governance barriers. Blockchain innovations have the ability to boost levels of productivity and unlock capital flows to underserved sectors, in addition to leveraging the increasing returns of information as an input to production to spur economic growth. This background paper discusses the recent advances in blockchain technology within Africa, and investigates the underlying economic principles of blockchain networks, both universally and in an African context. It reviews the enabling infrastructure and supporting technology, including digital identity. Finally, it gives policy recommendations to increase the uptake of blockchain technology on the continent
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Keywords
Blockchain, Data governance, Africa
Citation