Web 3 brings a new age for Africa and EMDEs'
Emerging Economies, particularly those in Africa, have historically lacked behind global centres of technological and commercial excellence due to poor enabling infrastructure and technology. Their economies have mostly relied on exporting primary extraction, and agricultural produce, which went on to have value added to it elsewhere.
This is changing fast.
With mobile phone and fixed internet service capacity risen drastically over the last decade in Eastern Europe and India we have seen live customer support of newtech services in Western Europe and North America being managed by support pools in India and Ukraine.
But affordability and consistency of the networks that provide data connections and internet in Africa has not kept pace with many other EMDE locations in the world. Talking about what Google's new Equiano cable could bring to the table, Google Africa's Managing Director, Nitin Garija said the relative cost of data remains incredibly expensive. Their cable will help, but the issue is a ;multifaceted problem Google can't fix alone
Blockchain promised to bring a range of freedoms to individuals over the status quo in internet, and other virtual spaces. Web 3 Domains role in this is to return individual sovereignty over identity, and shield from corporate or state visibility on their purchasing, content consumption, social, recreational and other habits.
Currently a gap exists between this technology and the ability of those who generate blockchain assets to integrate them. Product managers are making blockchain projects available through existing delivery and access systems, and not delivering identity sovereignty to their customers. In a rather cavalier fashion, they are mistitling them 'Web 3'
This isn't necessarily a bad thing for Africa, because it gives an opportunity to upskill before the gap is closes.
Into the gap goes 9ja Cosmos!
9ja Cosmos decided to enter this gap before an integrated marriage of Web 3 domain systems and blockchain asset creators can result in the 'Web 3' that as yet, does not exist.
The expectation is, if we make Web 3 SLDs (Second Level Domains) affordable enough, then African tech savvy youth will experiment and build great futures. Unlike the 'support services' successes of India and Ukraine, it isn't essential when working in Web 3 to be online all the time, with good bandwidth levels and feature packed communication tools with international reach
For this reason, we operate at cost ($2 to register a domain) for any Africa-Centric domain we offer. Community members don't necessarily have to be living in an African country to get involved or offer support. Diaspora and those that wish for positive change in the African narrative are most welcome.
Why Nigeria First?
Nigeria is the largest country in Africa, both by economy and populous. The masses of Nigeria are pro-crypto. By early 2021, Nigeria led the world in daily cryptocurrency daily transactions. In February 2021 the CBN (Central Bank of Nigeria) released a circular instructing 'regulated institutions' that 'dealing in cryptocurrency, or facilitating payments to cryptocurrency exchanges is prohibited'.
This left a large number of businesses and skilled individuals, particularly among the youth, being disenfranchised. Leading businesses in the sector moved abroad, and the associated 'new-tech' skill trajectory among the youth is still a long way from recovering.
9ja Cosmos is building a bouquet of services that blends some 'at cost' services helping rebuild this trajectory, with profit orientated scaling services which can assist a good marriage of brand development and community. 9ja Cosmos founder has over twenty-five years mixed-tech sector leadership experience, and family roots in the country, which help to mitigate challenges.