Event Overview
EthSafari 2023 was a week-long event, spanning from September 18th to September 24th, 2023. It commenced with hackathons and side events in Nairobi and culminated with a conference held at the picturesque venue, Beneath the Baobab, in Kilifi, Kenya. This event successfully gathered a diverse and vibrant community, including Web 3 developers, enthusiasts, blockchain experts, and venture capitalists.
EthSafari was the result of a collaborative endeavour between safariDAO, Celo Foundation, Ava Labs, ICP, Polygon, and numerous other valued partners within the Web3 ecosystem.
Tuesday 19th 2023 (Celo Local at EthSafari)
Eth Safari 2023 kicked off on a high note with a side event held in Nairobi. This event was made possible through a remarkable collaboration among our key partners in the Web 3 space, including Celo Africa DAO, Celo Foundation, Halofi, Fonbnk, and Opera. This event successfully united developers, venture capitalists, and passionate enthusiasts at Ikigai Coworking Space, Nairobi, where our focus delved into strategies for advancing the adoption of Web 3 technology across the African continent. The event was characterized by its resounding success, drawing an impressive turnout of more than 100 esteemed participants, all eager to engage in the discourse surrounding the evolution of Web 3 technology in Africa.
Thursday 21st September 2023 (Blocktrain)
As we made our way to Kilifi for the EthSafari conference, the team embarked on a journey via the Blocktrain. During this ride, individuals actively engaged in conversations, seeking connections to explore potential collaboration opportunities.
Friday 22nd September 2023 (Day 1 conference)
The Safari At Kilifi embarked on an exhilarating journey with an opening and warm welcome delivered by the esteemed SafariDAO team. As the booth sessions unfolded, attendees were treated to a series of enlightening keynotes and panel discussions, featuring influential figures from diverse protocols and networks.
Among the standout moments, Aliu Musa and Tosin Onikosi took centre stage, delivering a captivating keynote that unveiled the power of bringing blockchain to the masses. They provided an immersive walkthrough of the MiniPay App, highlighting its remarkable features and presenting compelling reasons why users should not only download but also join the MiniPay community.
Day one of the EthSafari Kilifi Conference emerged as an unequivocal triumph, leaving an indelible mark on the blockchain landscape. The numbers spoke for themselves, with more than 400 eager users enthusiastically onboarded to the Celo network.
Our success metrics proudly boasted:
User Onboarding: With over 400 new users seamlessly onboarded to Celo, we showcased the platform's appeal and accessibility.
Engaging Content: The keynote by Aliu Musa and Tosin Onikosi served as a beacon of knowledge, shedding light on the MiniPay App's potential and attracting the curiosity of a captivated audience.
Community Building: Through interactive activities and compelling discussions, we fostered a sense of belonging and excitement, creating a thriving ecosystem of blockchain enthusiasts.
Download Surge for Minipay: The call to action resonated, resulting in a significant surge of over 100 downloads of the MiniPay App.
Saturday 23rd September 2023 (Day 2 Conference)
Following the triumphant Day 1 that exceeded our anticipated metrics, Day 2 of the EthSafari Kilifi Conference ushered in a new wave of dynamic workshop sessions. Among these, a pivotal workshop titled "How to Build on Celo '' was expertly conducted by Jordan Muthemba and Khadijah Amusat, esteemed representatives of the Celo Africa DAO. This workshop served as a beacon of knowledge, attracting more than 30 enthusiastic participants who actively engaged in a meaningful discussion about harnessing the potential of Celo in their development endeavours.
As the workshop session unfolded, our booth became a hive of activity. Here, our dedicated team was hard at work fostering connections with attendees and facilitating the onboarding process for those eager to join the Celo blockchain community. This bustling activity at our booth resulted in a resounding success, with over 200 curious and motivated users stopping by to explore the world of Celo.
And if that weren't sufficient, we were also honoured to have Irsha Varshney, the Head of DeFi at the Celo Foundation, join in for the Layer 2 showcase panel session. During this session, she discussed Celo's move to a Layer 2 network and shared her optimistic outlook on the Layer 2 landscape.
Our success metrics proudly boasted:
In-Depth Learning: The "How to Build on Celo" workshop provided participants with valuable insights into the intricacies of Celo's ecosystem, empowering them with the knowledge needed to embark on their development journeys.
Engaged Audience: The workshop's interactive nature ensured that more than 30 attendees actively participated in discussions, indicating a high level of interest in Celo's potential.
Community Growth: The buzz of activity at our booth facilitated meaningful connections and user onboarding, resulting in over 200 individuals eager to explore the possibilities offered by the Celo blockchain.
Key insights emerging from ETHSafari 2023
Blockchain protocols should prioritize openness and interoperability; otherwise, it becomes a challenging and dynamic situation.
It's important to recognize that Africa is a valuable asset to the crypto world, rather than the other way around.
We must actively engage with regulators and invest substantial effort in demonstrating the blockchain's value proposition.
Conclusion
"EthSafari 2023 achieved remarkable success. Throughout the two-day conference, we successfully onboarded developers and engaged with various ecosystem participants, significantly enhancing brand awareness for Celo. The event also showcased projects dedicated to tackling intricate challenges within the Web 3 domain, spanning areas such as privacy, scalability, and zk-EVMs."
Here is a photo dump from the Event.