Celo Africa DAO - Q1 Progress Report 2025
Executive Summary
This thread provides a progress update of Celo Africa DAO during Q1 of 2025. Celo Africa DAO has advanced its mission of driving Celo adoption across the continent by activating key focus areas, i.e. nurturing local talent, community growth and elevating real-world blockchain use cases. With a strategic focus on developer education and community growth, the DAO catalysed grassroots growth in Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, South Africa, and beyond.
Written by Brisa Mukunde, Ronald Nzioki, with contributions from other core members of the DAO.
Focus Area 1: Incubator Program - Cohort 2
We’re currently supporting 16 early-stage teams in our incubator program. Many of these teams are building innovative use cases around stablecoins, with emerging interest in DePIN, ReFi, and AI agent integrations. A majority of these teams have already developed working MVPs, making them strong candidates for the upcoming Celo Camp accelerator. This highlights the incubator’s value as a strategic pipeline for identifying and nurturing builders from the earliest stages of development.
Notably, two projects from our current cohort, cKash App & Exxion Finance, have each secured grants from Prezenti to pilot their solutions and expand into new markets. This speaks to the credibility and traction our incubator is generating. Additionally, one of our alumni, Carus Recycling, was selected for the Prezenti Scale program, enabling them to accelerate further growth, another testament to the incubator’s role in driving ecosystem-wide impact.
To underscore the quality of talent we’re cultivating, one of our incubated teams, QuestPanda and 3WC Club, recently won prizes in the Global Stable Hackathon, further validating our ability to surface high-potential projects that align with Celo’s mission and infrastructure.
For more information: Second Cohort Projects
Focus Area 2: Developer Talent Acquisition
In Q1 2025, Celo Africa DAO deepened developer engagement through key initiatives; the 4-week AI Agent Bootcamp, streamed on YouTube, X and Streamyard, which attracted over 100 participants and featured strategic partnerships with Thirdweb and Celo Foundation.
Additionally, we collaborated with the DevRel team to promote the Proof of Ship campaign, from which 50% of submissions originated from our African developer community. In Q2, the focus will be on IRL code jams, with prospective collaborations from partners such as Curve Grid, Self Protocol and Divvi.
The in-person CodeJams will serve as a critical touchpoint to deepen the quality and impact of projects emerging across the African continent. By providing hands-on technical support, mentorship, and collaboration opportunities, we aim to help teams strengthen their MVPs and align more closely with real-world use cases and be part of the ecosystem programs.
For more information, check the repositories tracker: Regional DAOs Developer Repositories
Achievements & Metrics
- 110 developers joined our community and added to our database
- 15 active developer repositories from the AI bootcamp
- 18 active projects from our ecosystem in Proof of Ship
Focus Area 3: Community & Ecosystem Events 
Africa Tech Summit, Nairobi (February 2025)
Africa DAO had a strong presence at the Africa Tech Summit, one of the continent’s leading tech gatherings. At the Celo booth, we engaged and onboarded 50+ developers and community members, introducing them to the Celo ecosystem, including key partners like MiniPay, Mento, and others.
We used this opportunity to initiate strategic partnership conversations and increase visibility for Celo as the go-to blockchain for real-world applications in Africa.
Web3 Mixer: Cocktails & Convos - Event Link
Held as a side event at the Africa Tech Summit, this mixer gathered 100+ participants from across the Celo ecosystem and broader Web3 space, including representatives from the Celo Foundation, Opera MiniPay, Mento Labs, Mercy Corps Ventures, Kickstarter/CC Protocol, Fonbnk, Haraka Finance, and prominent African builders.
The event provided a relaxed, high-impact platform for networking, ecosystem updates, and exploring new collaborations, fostering stronger ties between African Web3 communities and global stakeholders.
Creative Crowdfunding Workshop
Still, after ATS, on February 14, 2025, we hosted a practical workshop in Nairobi in partnership with Kickstarter/CCProtocol, targeting Africa’s creative industry. Over 60 creatives spanning art, film, fashion, and publishing were introduced to MiniFunder, a blockchain-powered crowdfunding tool designed to empower creators.
Attendees learned about launching Web3-enabled projects, building communities, and setting up campaigns. The session featured live demos and networking to bridge the gap between creativity and blockchain-based financing.
Local Activations
This quarter, we hosted a series of community-led Spaces and activations designed to drive awareness, education, and engagement across key African markets. Notably, we organised 6 X Spaces, featuring ecosystem builders, product teams, and partners discussing topics ranging from stablecoins and DeFi to building on Celo L2. These sessions amplified ecosystem narratives and gave visibility to emerging African voices in Web3.
Key Highlight was an X space with Marek - CEL2 Transition on March 5th
Success Metrics
6 X spaces hosted
3000+ listeners tuned in
90,000+ X impressions
908 new followers
University Ecosystem
We deepened our engagement with the next generation of Web3 talent by activating Celo-university chapters across multiple university campuses.
A key highlight this quarter was our successful presence at the University of Ilorin, where we onboarded over 100 students through hands-on sessions covering stablecoins, CEL2, and real-world use cases like Minipay.
We supported the launch of Minipay IOS, testing and downloading the app with the university students. We also launched & strengthened university presence in 6 campus clubs, creating consistent, localised entry points for students to explore building on Celo.
This ongoing investment in university outreach continues to serve as a foundational pipeline for future developers, entrepreneurs, and community leaders aligned with the mission of connecting 1 billion people to benefit from Celo’s on-chain economy.
Achievements & Metrics
6 University events hosted
600+ participants onboarded to Celo, Minipay, and the ecosystem
200 developers onboarded
3000+ Minipay downloads
Celo in Côte d’Ivoire
The first-ever Celo Meetup in the francophone region, Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire, took place on Saturday, 24th May 2025, at Zebox, Cocody Centre (ITC), gathering over 30 attendees. The event focused on introducing the local community in Abidjan to the Celo blockchain, the ecosystem and real-world applications. Additionally, the event highlighted Celo’s role as a real-world application-focused blockchain, especially in mobile-first economies.
Participants expressed strong interest in joining Celo initiatives such as social contribution, project building, and hackathons. Notably, there was an enthusiastic reception of regenerative finance (ReFi) concepts, and early conversations began around launching the first Celo-based projects in Côte d’Ivoire.
Looking ahead, Africa DAO envisions expanding Celo’s presence across the continent by empowering local communities, fostering real-world innovation, supporting developer networks, enabling regenerative economies, and building sustainable grassroots infrastructure. This aligns with its broader mission to drive inclusive, decentralised growth across Africa, built by and for Africans.
Upcoming Events in June
- Kenya Blockchain and Crypto Conference:12th - 13th June, 2025
- Plogging Nigeria Climate Festival: 2nd June
- Dev Fest Kampala: 27th - 28th June
Celo Africa DAO Verticals
During Q1 2025, we developed cKash App in partnership with Divvi, a Celo-native non-custodial wallet and a primary distribution platform for local stable currencies. It is focused on stablecoins and real-world utility across Africa. cKash is designed to offer a mobile money-like experience while leveraging Celo’s ecosystem, starting with support for cUSD and cKES, and other regional stable currencies like cGHC, cZAR and USDT & USDC on Celo.
Key milestones include:
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Launch Campaign Success: Rolled out a multi-channel launch campaign with strong community engagement and partnerships, generating early traction in Kenya.
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Prezenti Grant: Secured a growth grant from Prezenti, validating the product’s potential and supporting further market expansion.
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Merchant & DeFi Integration: Initiated development of localised features, aligning with cKash’s long-term vision as a primary on/off ramp and utility wallet.
The vision of cKash App is to showcase how DAO-aligned ventures can bring real-world adoption to the Celo ecosystem by building localised, user-first financial tools.
HackersDAO is a developer-centric initiative designed to make the Celo ecosystem the go-to platform for African builders. It serves as the primary hub for hackathons, developer tooling, and grassroots community engagement across the continent. With a focus on accessibility and learning-by-building, HackersDAO lowers the barrier for entry into Web3 while aligning closely with Celo’s mission of real-world impact.
Key milestones:
Platform & Positioning: Established HackersDAO as the core platform for Celo-aligned hackathons in Africa, providing resources, bounties, and post-hackathon support for builders.
Hackathon Activation: Launched the first in a series of monthly hackathons, drawing participation from over 100 developers across five countries.
Community Growth Goals: Set ambitious KPIs of 1 hackathon per month and 1,000 registered African builders by the end of 2025, creating a steady pipeline of talent and projects into the Celo ecosystem.
The vision of HackersDAO is to cultivate a new wave of Web3 developers who are deeply aligned with Celo’s regenerative finance mission, unlocking local innovation through education, community, and real-world experimentation.
We’re excited to introduce the DAO Product Testing Program, a community-powered initiative designed to support and accelerate the development of Web3 products across Africa. This program allows teams to test their products with real users, gather valuable feedback, and ensure readiness before full-scale launch.
Over the past years and months, we’ve had the opportunity to test and support several impactful products through this initiative, including:
- Minipay. A lightweight, mobile-first crypto wallet aimed at onboarding the next billion users.
- Self-Protocol App. A privacy-first identity solution that uses zero-knowledge proofs and real-world attestations to enable secure, sybil-resistant user verification. Self-Protocol was tested in African countries(Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, etc) through the program, engaging real users across diverse communities to validate its functionality and relevance in local contexts.
- MiniFunder by Kickstarter. It’s a lightweight crowdfunding tool that enables users to support projects with small contributions directly from their wallets. Designed for quick, on-chain fundraising, MiniFunder focuses on simplicity and accessibility, making it easier for builders to raise funds and for supporters to contribute without friction.
- cKash. A non-custodial wallet focused on local stablecoin access and localised payments in Africa.
Africa DAO has positioned itself as a vital support pillar for emerging Web3 solutions by bridging innovation with real user feedback across the continent. Through the DAO Product Testing Program, we’ve created a dynamic, community-powered ecosystem where builders can test, refine, and localise their products with input from real users.
This initiative not only accelerates product readiness but also ensures solutions are rooted in the realities and needs of African markets. As we expand the program, our vision is to continue fostering collaboration between developers and grassroots communities, driving meaningful adoption, improving product-market fit, and shaping the future of Web3 through collective insight and participation.
Plans for Q2 2025
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AfricaDAO Town Halls: Kick off a regular cadence of Town Halls to strengthen transparency, build momentum, connect with founders, and drive community-wide participation across the continent.
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Host IRL Codejams: Continue to organise in-person coding sessions in key regions to build developer capacity, foster collaboration, and support early-stage prototyping.
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Scale Developer Onboarding: Expand outreach and engagement initiatives to onboard more developers into the Celo ecosystem through workshops, online bootcamps, and strategic technical content.
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Strengthen Community Building: Deepen engagement through local activations, community events, university support, X Spaces, and ambassador-led initiatives to grow grassroots awareness and participation.
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Support Incubator Cohort 2: Provide continued mentorship, technical support, and ecosystem visibility for the current incubator cohort as they progress post-program.
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Accelerate Product Development: Continue building and supporting DAO-backed products with feedback loops, community testing, and go-to-market efforts to drive real-world adoption.
Conclusion
Q1 2025 marked a period of meaningful traction across our core focus areas: incubator support, developer growth, and community activation. The Incubator program continues to serve as a strong pipeline for high-potential teams, with standout projects gaining external recognition and funding. Developer engagement efforts, including the AI Agent Bootcamp, attracted a growing base of technical talent, while local and university activations expanded grassroots awareness of the Celo ecosystem.
With momentum building, we’re entering Q2 with a sharpened focus on consolidating these gains, scaling developer onboarding, deepening product support, and continuing initiatives like AfricaDAO Town Halls to strengthen coordination.
The foundation is set for even greater ecosystem impact in the months ahead.
