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Blockfest Africa
Blockfest Africa, styled by its organisers as Blockf3st Africa, is an annual Web3 and artificial-intelligence (AI) festival held in Lagos, Nigeria, that brings together developers, founders, investors, creatives, policymakers and regulators from across Africa and its diaspora. The event is convened by Samuel Oladokun Olaoyenikan, founder of Nirvana Academy and also known as XeusTheGreat, and was first staged in 2025. Its organisers market it as "the continent's biggest gathering of Web3 and AI minds" and as "The Superbowl of Web3."[1][2]
The event is organised around three pillars captured in the slogan "BUIDL · BRIDGE · BECOME," referring respectively to building companies, products, careers and communities; bridging Africa with global capital and technology; and becoming part of the network shaping the continent's next decade. Its inaugural 2025 edition reported more than 12,000 participants from over 50 countries, and its second edition, Blockf3st Africa 2026, is scheduled for October 22–24, 2026 at the National Art Theatre in Lagos under the theme "New Trade Routes: Bringing Africa Onchain."[3][4]
Overview
Blockfest Africa is positioned by its organisers as a pan-African convention spanning AI, Web3, venture capital, technology, culture and careers, described on its ticketing materials as "Africa's leading convention" across those fields and as "The Super Bowl of African Innovation." The programme combines keynotes, panels, workshops, startup showcases, an exhibition floor and closed-door founder-and-investor sessions, with an explicit emphasis on networking and dealmaking. Organisers invite attendees to "come for the conference, add the workshops, or take the room where deals get done."[3][2]
The event frames Africa as a market with strong Web3 adoption potential, citing self-reported figures such as 57% of Nigerians being unbanked, 70% of the population being under 30, a global Web3 market it places at $3.3 trillion, and access to more than 30 African countries. Organisers also state that around 70% of attendees are "decision makers, from founders to government officials," and describe the festival as having "policy influence and government backing, with year-round community engagement, not just a single day event." These positioning statistics are presented by the organisers rather than independently verified.[2]
Origins and Founding
The idea for Blockfest Africa originated in early 2023, when Samuel Olaoyenikan contacted Sarah Idahosa, founder of Women In DeFi, about staging an event that would gather stakeholders from across different Web3 niches in Africa rather than only traders, developers or creatives. Idahosa, who became the project's Programs Director, has said she aligned with that vision but that the project was put on hold when team members became occupied with personal projects.[5]
According to Idahosa, in December 2024 a figure named Xeus — the alias of convener Samuel Olaoyenikan — "nudged" the team to execute the event in 2025, and the team was back in motion by April 2025, locking in the venue in May 2025. Registration went live on September 7, 2025, which Idahosa notes is her birthday; the team recorded over 3,000 registrations on the first day against a target of 4,000. She names Samuel Olaoyenikan, Idris Olubisi, Amarachi Nwachukwu and Oreoluwa Zebulun Ajayi among those she worked with directly. Olaoyenikan has said the festival was created to "encourage global domination by African founders in blockchain," emphasising "collaboration over competition."[5][1]
2026 Edition
Blockf3st Africa 2026 is scheduled as a three-day event running October 22–24, 2026 at the National Art Theatre in Lagos, under the theme "New Trade Routes: Bringing Africa Onchain." Organisers describe the edition as larger than its predecessor and invite over 5,000 founders, engineers, investors, creators, policymakers and emerging talent from Africa and the diaspora. [4][8][7]
The three days are structured by function. Thursday, October 22 is dedicated to hands-on workshops in the morning and "The Back Room" — a closed-door Founders Corner pairing founders and investors — in the evening. Friday, October 23 is the main Conference Day, featuring keynotes, the thematic tracks and the expo floor. Saturday, October 24 is "The Mixer," an invitation-only closing celebration that is not sold separately.[2][3]
Speakers listed for the 2026 edition span government, academia and industry. They include Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat, Deputy Governor of Lagos State; Dr. Tunji Alausa, Honourable Minister of Education of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Prof. Temitayo Ogundipe, Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Universities Commission; and Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende Abubakre, the Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development who also appeared in 2025. Industry speakers include Ashley Rene Olika, co-founder and CEO of Owego; Eniola Osiyoku, senior product manager at PawaPay; Faith Jerry, founder and CEO of AILE Group; Teddi Speaks, founder and convener of Unchain Summer; Opeyemi Stephen, QA and releases manager at the Solana Developer Platform; Olamilekan Majekodunmi, an AI, Web3 and content strategist; and Dára Sobaloju, founder of Pewbeam.[2]
Cape Town Roadshow
As a lead-up to the 2026 flagship, Blockfest Africa ran a Roadshow whose first stop was Cape Town, South Africa, held May 5–11, 2026 and described as "a week of builder meetups, sessions and experiences across South Africa, before the main event in Lagos." The organisers framed the Roadshow as intended to be "different" rather than simply bigger, saying it demonstrated the movement could travel while stressing that it was not a replacement for the flagship event.[2][8]
2025 Edition
The first Blockfest Africa was held in Lagos on October 11, 2025, and billed as "Africa's Biggest Web3 Festival." Independent reporting by BusinessDay put participation at more than 12,000 people from over 50 countries, with the organisers' own recap reporting 15,000+ total registrations, 12,000+ total attendees and attendees from 54+ countries. The organisers reported an attendance breakdown of 5,000+ physical attendees on the ground in Lagos and 7,200 virtual attendees joining from across the globe; Idahosa separately described reaching "double" the physical number virtually. Self-reported social-media reach for the edition included 2.2 million-plus impressions on X (Twitter), 400,000-plus on TikTok, 100,000-plus on Instagram and 7,200-plus YouTube livestream viewers.[6][1]
BusinessDay reported that the conference hosted 31 speakers, while the event's own recap cited 20+ speakers. The keynote was delivered by Dr. Emomotimi Agama, Director-General of Nigeria's Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), who advised participants to "learn to code solidly, study digital laws, and understand decentralised finance." Hon. Mobolaji Ogunlende Abubakre, Lagos State Commissioner for Youth and Social Development, delivered a keynote urging young people to "build" the future rather than wait for it, with the Lagos State Government reaffirming its commitment to youth empowerment and blockchain policy frameworks. Other named speakers included Idris Olubisi of Web3 Afrika, who framed the US H-1B visa as "a window for African tech talent to make a global impact"; Chimezie Chuta of the Blockchain Nigeria User Group; Ayodeji Israel Awosika of Web3bridge; Jeremiah Mayowa, CEO of Jeroid; Seun Lanlege, co-founder of Hyperbridge; and David Adegoke, senior mobile engineer at CakeWallet.[1][6]
The 2025 programme ran as a single full day from an 8:00 a.m. networking check-in to closing announcements at 5:10 p.m., interleaving keynotes, four panels, talks, fireside chats, product pitches, sponsor spotlights, audience games and a gadgets raffle. Panel topics ranged from "Code or Lead? Redefining the Roles of Founders and Developers in Africa's Tech Ecosystem" and "Funding the Platform — What It Takes to Raise as a Web3 Builder in Africa" to "Brand, Influence & Community — Creatives at the Web2–Web3 Crossroads" and "Clarity in Compliance." A fireside chat with SEC Director-General Emomotimi Agama addressed "Regulation in Web3 — What Builders Need to Know in Nigeria," while Olaoyenikan delivered a welcome keynote titled "From Pipeline to Platform — The Web3 Playbook for Africans."[7]
The 2025 edition was supported by a tiered roster of sponsors and ecosystem partners. BusinessDay named Jeroid as Diamond Sponsor and CakeWallet and Hyperbridge as Gold Sponsors, with ecosystem support from Sui, Jupiter Nigeria, Huele Bien, Gidi Real Estate Investment Limited, Avalanche Team1, Africa.Somi and FanYogo; FanYogo provided refreshments to over 4,000 attendees. The event's schedule additionally credited sponsor spotlights from Somnia Africa, Avax Nigeria and Base Africa Projects.[1][7]
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