₿trust, a non-profit organization funded by Twitter co-founder and Bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey, is expanding its efforts in Africa through a recent acquisition. The organization has acquired Qala, a dedicated organization that trains Bitcoin and Lightning engineers in Africa. This acquisition is a significant step in ₿Trust’s mission to foster the development and education of Bitcoin open-source engineers from the Global South.
As part of this transaction, completed on September 1, Qala will undergo a rebranding and operate under the name ₿trust Builders Programme. Established in 2021, Qala has been actively involved in identifying, training. And connecting African software developers with global Bitcoin companies. Equipping them with the necessary skills for the global Bitcoin ecosystem.
Qala has notably built one of the largest online communities of Bitcoin developers in Africa, spanning across 42 countries including Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda. Graduates of Qala’s programs have gone on to secure positions at companies such as the Bitcoin-native banking platform Galoy. The Lightning Network-based messenger SphinxChat, and the peer-to-peer platform Bitnob. Additionally, they have received open-source grants from ₿trust and Superlunar.
As part of the acquisition. Qala CEO Femi Longe and Programme Manager Stephanie Titcombe will assume roles as program leads at ₿trust Builders. Ojoma Ochai, a board member of ₿trust, expressed pride in welcoming Femi and his team to the organization. Highlighting Qala’s rapid progress in promoting open-source development in the Global South.
Jack Dorsey originally announced the creation of the Bitcoin development trust ₿trust in February 2021. With the goal of funding Bitcoin development worldwide. At the time of the announcement, ₿trust was endow with 500 BTC, equivalent to $23.7 million. Initially, the non-profit focused on supporting teams in Africa and India. In addition to Jack Dorsey, the trust received initial funding from crypto-friendly artist and producer Jay-Z. Currently, ₿trust is govern by a board of directors consisting of Abubakar Nur Khalil, Carla Kirk-Cohen, Obi Nwosu, and Ojoma Ochai.
