Blockchain ecosystem and cryptocurrency infrastructure provider Binance says it has extended free blockchain education to over 350,000 crypto beginners across Africa.

The Fintech-education focused company uses its Binance Academy, described as a one-stop guide to all things crypto, along with free crypto education classes in Africa, particularly where crypto interest and adoption continue to increase.

According to the company, since its inception in January 2020, the Binance Masterclass has provided free crypto education to over 400,000 Africans.

In a statement released to the media, Binance explained that due to many crypto beginners often being victims of crypto scams from bad actors, the free webinars were primarily targeted at helping users understand the fundamentals of cryptocurrencies, how to identify scams and keep their crypto safe as they get started on their crypto journey.

As the global pandemic surfaced and many individuals lost jobs, lost income and were forced to stay home, the classes also focused on teaching new skills such as crypto trading and careers in blockchain development.

By the end of 2020, over 70,000 Africans were educated in the first year of the launch of the Masterclass. Binance has since doubled down on its efforts, providing education resources to over 177,000 Africans in Q1 2021 and over 179,500 in Q2 2021- creating the education infrastructure Africans need to be financially free and informed.

Emmanuel Babalola, Director at Binance Africa, said, “Blockchain education is at the heart of our focus in the global market. As a blockchain infrastructure provider, we are committed to ensuring that more and more people have access to the right information about the workings of the ecosystem. Africa is a very important market for Binance because we see the profound opportunity blockchain brings to the entire continent.”

In Q1 2021, Binance trained over 1000 blockchain developers in Africa and allocated a US$1-million fund for African developers. The 8-week masterclass was concluded with a demo show by top attendees showcasing newly built products using blockchain technology and skills acquired from the developer course,

Some of the channels Binance Africa has used to provide crypto education & accelerate financial inclusion include:

- Newbie Walkthroughs - A webinar series for newbies that provides an introduction to cryptocurrency and the Binance platform, ensuring beginners have access to the right information about the workings of the crypto ecosystem.

- My Binance Class - A campaign that creates an opportunity for tutors to get rewarded for their efforts in spreading knowledge about crypto and blockchain to all. The goal of the campaign is to decentralise and deliver sound crypto education through the creation of smaller learning communities.

- Blockchain Student Corner - An AMA webinar series for students across Binance communities in Africa opportunities in blockchain, the basics of cryptocurrency trading and much more.

- Hackathon Workshops - Most recent hackathon spanned 21 days and saw participants building DeFi and NFT solutions to solve real problems identified in the African systems in place today. 20 teams kicked off the hackathon building DeFi & NFT projects covering Savings, Lending and Borrowing, Swaps, Royalties and Renting, Elections, Identity Management, Land Ownership, NFTs marketplaces. The community engaged in weekly workshops, as the hackathon progressed.