- Africa has already set the pace through innovation born from necessity, culturally rooted creativity, and community-driven progress, he writes Yi He, co-founder of Binance.
- African innovations are tested daily against currency instability, unreliable power and pressures from low-reliability systems.
- These are the conditions in which bold ideas are stress-tested, and blockchain technology finds meaningful everyday applications.
Every year, Africa Day serves as a celebration of the culture, history and progress of the continent. But in 2025, Africa has more than celebrating – it’s leading.
For a long time, Africa has been positioned as a “frontier market” waiting to catch up. The story is outdated. Africa is not waiting to be included. It has already set the pace through innovation born out of need, creativity rooted in culture, and progress driven by community.
At Binance, we witnessed first-hand how innovation differs in Africa. It doesn’t always start with formal meeting rooms or multi-million dollar funding rounds. It often starts with WhatsApp groups, community meetups, and side hustlers built using mobile phones. This is a bottom-up revolution shaped by real-world needs.
Check out Mary Usaji, developer and project manager at ICP Hub Kenya. After being scam, she turned to blockchain not as a buzzword, but as a tool. With support from platforms such as Binance, Mary educates herself, rebuilds her confidence and leads blockchain development training for others. Her story is not only one of recovery, but one of leadership, reflecting a larger move led by African women redefine the technological environment.
There is also Emmanuel, a Web3 content creator and Crypto influencer. His journey into the world of cryptocurrency began in 2014, when he launched his first e-commerce store. Emmanuel discovered Bitcoin in the face of the challenge of integrating payment gateways. Bitcoin has provided a borderless solution for receiving payments from anywhere in the world.
Investment and Payment Systems
This discovery has changed the way he handled business and finances, opening up new possibilities for investment and payment systems. By embracing cryptography, Emmanuel has become part of a larger movement of entrepreneurs who revolutionize the industry. His story is one of the ideas of growth, financial literacy, and ongoing learning, embodying the transformational power of cryptocurrency for business and personal empowerment.
or Chris Howard, founder of Story, a premium marketplace of Cape Town sneakers and collectibles. His passion for sneakers has been transformed into a thriving business that not only accommodates sneaker heads, but embraced new technology. By adopting cryptocurrency payments through Binance Pay, Chris has made transactions smoother for its customers and made cryptocurrency available to use as the mainstream payment method. His story is one of adaptability and growth, reflecting a broad trend in African entrepreneurs embracing innovation to boost their business and create unique experiences.
African innovation is not theoretical. It is practical and is tested daily against currency instability, unreliable power, and pressures of low trust systems. These are the conditions in which bold ideas are stress-tested, and blockchain technology finds meaningful everyday applications.
While many countries are debating blockchain regulations, some African communities have already used it to solve the pressing issues. Stablecoins is stepping up cross-border payments for families and small businesses. NFTs are used to authenticate digital identity and African art. Smart contracts provide greater transparency and accountability for community projects.
This isn’t a leap, it’s built better from the start. And that’s not happening at the margin. It shapes a global mindset about what sustainable and inclusive innovation looks like.
Africa Day is more than a cultural celebration. Because what’s going on here is a preview of where the world is heading. Africa shows that resilience, community trust, and wit is not a trait to overcome.
At Binance, we don’t just invest in Africa. We are learning from it. Through community education, partnerships and local capacity building, we are committed to supporting this growth from the ground up. Innovation should be accessible, inclusive, and adapted to local realities, and we believe there is no better place to demonstrate this than Africa.
Please read again: The leap from African oil and gas is not a quick energy correction that the world thinks will
Africa has arrived – not only as a user of innovation, but as its architect
To date, our work Binance Charity and Binance Academy It supports women in more than 10 countries, including South Africa and Kenya, and features blockchain education, guidance and scholarships. These programs are not charities. They are about unlocking talent and strengthening long-term participation in the digital economy.
The world once called Africa “emerging markets.” But the emergence means something still ongoing. It no longer applies. Africa has arrived – not only as a user of innovation, but as its architect.
Move beyond the outdated narratives on this African day. Africa is not a part of the future, it’s building it. And to those who pay attention, that’s obvious. The rest of the world would be wise to follow that blueprint.
opinion Yi He, co-founder of Binance (www.binance.com))
