On November 16, 2017, Ghana will host the country’s first-ever blockchain conference. The theme of the conference will be ‘blockchain technology for development’.

Blockchain technology, which is an open-source distributed ledger technology that can record, store and transfer data continues to gain momentum across the private and public sectors in countries like Kenya and across the globe.

Revolutionising the Business Sector

Madam N. Dotse, the Organizing Committee Chair of the conference, in an interview with the media, questioned how prepared the citizens of Ghana were in the event that blockchain technology displaced trusted regulated entities such as banks, registries, and other well-known financial institutions.

“It is critical therefore to ascertain whether or not we are well informed about this technology that is taking the world by storm; do we have the requisite policy, legal and regulatory frameworks to embrace the blockchain technologies, and most importantly how well equipped in terms of capacity are our regulatory institutions of this emerging sector?What can we do to make this better; And last but not the least, how does Ghana position herself to benefit on this emerging trend?” asked Madam N. Dotse.

It is these questions that beg for answers that have brought the need to have the first-ever Blockchain Conference hosted by the Blockchain Network in Ghana. The non-profit Blockchain Network is an organisation that aims to provide forums for sharing of best practices, engagements, and networking opportunities for the blockchain community.

Besides seeking possible answers, the conference will enable the blockchain community in Ghana to engage and consider the potential sectors that the technology could be applied. From insurance, medical, financial and banking institutions, and mobile industries, among others.

Workshops Leading up to the Conference

The one-day conference will bring together policymakers, technology leaders and the blockchain community to deepen the Ghanaians understanding of blockchain technology.

There will be a two-day Blockchain Training Workshop that will precede the conference. The workshop will be facilitated by experts from both the local as well as the global blockchain community. The pre-conference blockchain training workshop program line-up includes a bitcoin and Ethereum technologies workshop and hackathon, training in applications and technologies, financial inclusion, policies and regulations as well as other critical issues.

The aim of the November Blockchain Conference is to create awareness and peer-to-peer networking, build a good policy framework in which the blockchain technology can thrive in, understanding the policy issues, meeting and sharing best practices by stakeholders, getting personalised demos as well as learning from the experts.

The event will be held at the Golden Tulip in Accra. Those interested in participating can visit the conference’s official website here for more information.

The conference is taking place just before the Nigeria Blockchain Alliance conference in Lagos and the Botswana blockchain summit in early December.