Blockchain technology has arrived, poised to facilitate, secure, and codify the digital connections that will shape business, government, and the global economy in the future. Preparing continental Africa for this techno-social future requires addressing critical questions: What laws apply to blockchain applications? What internal elements ensure a blockchain application’s success? How do various socioeconomic sectors respond to blockchain technology and its potential for disruption? What are the key regulatory concerns surrounding blockchain applications, and what policy options are available? Additionally, how can decentralized governance models, such as those exemplified by Cardano and other blockchains, enhance transparency, accountability, and innovation in blockchain ecosystems?

The African Institute for DeFi & Blockchain (AIDBLOCK) is an independent, nonprofit (section 8 of Act 992) think tank dedicated to blockchain policy research. Through a range of programs and publications, AIDBLOCK highlights the significance of decentralized solutions, sound money, personal liberty, and a strong emphasis on free market economics. AIDBLOCK also explores blockchain governance, with a focus on pioneering models like Cardano, which utilizes a decentralized governance process through its Voltaire phase, enabling community-driven decision-making via on-chain voting and treasury management. Other blockchains, such as Tezos with its self-amending protocol and Polkadot with its on-chain governance via referenda, further exemplify how decentralized governance can foster innovation while addressing regulatory and operational challenges. As an institution, AIDBLOCK affirms free tech entrepreneurship, economic liberty, property rights, sound money, and tech-based policy regulation that supports innovation and creativity without impeding decentralized solutions or their governance structures.