Bitcoin Nakawa has been making some good progress with our Mongongo Oil Press. The machine itself has been fully paid for! Goal Reached! Thank you everyone!
In June I wrote about our new goal on Geyser to pay for transportation of the Oil Press from Windhoek, Namibia to Nakawa in Zambia. We’re already on our way. We just have a little further to go.
We have some good news…you don’t need Bitcoin to help out! Credit card contributions are now open! Geyser made this possible by adding a feature on their platform that converts credit card payments directly into Bitcoin. We still receive your contribution in Bitcoin, which is going to make a significant difference for an upcoming goal to integrate Nakawa with nearby Livingstone (see details below).
You can donate directly, and/or buy pre-sale copies of the Nakawa children’s book, and/or get yourself a 1-year subscription to the Afrika Ascending Podcast. The choice is yours! Click below.
Donate/purchase now by clicking here :)
We’ve had some minor delays, but the Oil Press is almost on its way from China. The shipping container is being loaded as we speak. If all goes as planned, then it should be leaving the port in early September for arrival in Windhoek by the end of October. There will be some import duties at Namibia and Zambia’s borders, so the sooner we reach our second goal, the better :)
Nakawa in October
I’m going to a Bitcoin Mining conference in Lusaka at the end of September, so I will go spend some time in Nakawa afterward. I will likely be there for all of October.
Something BIG is happening
Something incredible has been happening near Nakawa. Bitcoin adoption by merchants in the nearby town, Livingstone, has been accelerating at an incredible pace. This is beyond exciting and is a huge break for Nakawa! I can’t wait to check it out. I’ve even arranged to rent a motorcycle, paid in Bitcoin.
Follow Bitcoin Victoria Falls on X to see what’s happening in Livingstone.
This is huge for Nakawa because it makes it so much easier for Bitcoin contributions to help them. The Bitcoin that Nakawa receives and generates acts as a tool to integrate them into Livingstone’s circular economy. They can spend their Bitcoin directly on the goods and services they need. The possibilities are endless. Oil from the Mongongo Press can be included for sale, and the collaborative effort of the Livingstone community will eagerly integrate Nakawa into their intiatives.
Click the image below to watch how Bitcoin is used in Livingstone.
A renowned open-source Bitcoin education program has been operating in Livingstone, called “My First Bitcoin”. Nakawa residents, and even children, can go participate, and I hope to arrange one of their programs at Nakawa’s own school.
Kids in Zambia learning how to pay with Bitcoin. Click the image to watch.
This type of grassroots financial and social liberation truly empowers people to be innovative and break free. People underestimate the power of financial literacy and inclusion, and being free from the hinderances of banks and politics.
Bitcoin circular economies cultivate exactly this. The value people create (the work they trade their precious time for) no longer leaks to outside interests like VISA/Mastercard, banks, and illogical taxation (stay legal, folks). Not even exchanges take a cut from Bitcoin/fiat conversions in Livingstone because most conversions between Bitcoin and Kwachas (Zambia’s currency) are done peer-to-peer by residents. Just watch what comes from Livingstone and Nakawa. I can’t wait to see how this unfolds and tell you all about it.
My goals for October
When I visit in October, one of my main goals will be to get my friends at Nakawa set up and educated on their own Bitcoin Lightning wallets. This is the infrastructure needed to make day-to-day payments and will allow contributions to go directly to them. I’m going to announce a new Geyser goal along these lines sometime soon.
I will be spending the rest of my time in Nakawa getting familiar with the network of merchants accepting Bitcoin at their stores and journaling for the Nakawa children’s book. In November, I’ll probably go fetch the machine in Windhoek, then make my way back to Nakawa.
Just in case you missed it, click the link below to contribute to Bitcoin Nakawa (Bitcoin/Credit Card). Grab yourself a pre-sale copy of our children’s book and/or a 1-year subscription to the Afrika Ascending Podcast while you’re at it.
Donate/purchase now by clicking here :)
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Thanks again everyone. We are winning.
G