Africa is emerging as a global hub for green, energy-backed Bitcoin mining, with nearly 4% of global hashrate and growing. Mining is helping solve real challengesāelectrification, grid stability, economic growth, and energy monetization.
But thereās a risk:
š» Much of Africaās mining power is controlled by foreign pools and companies, meaning decisions about which transactions get processed may follow foreign regulationsālike OFAC restrictions.
This leads to hashrate exfiltration: ā”ļø Local energy + infrastructure
ā”ļø Foreign-controlled mining + profits
ā”ļø Potential future censorship
So while Africa builds mining capacity, another resource extraction cycle could repeatāthis time digitally.
ā Why Bitcoin Still Matters for Africa
When managed locally, Bitcoin offers:
Treasury building in BTCānot just USD
Monetization of excess renewable energy
Incentives to expand rural electrification
Economic sovereignty and energy independence
Example: Ethiopiaās GERD, where Bitcoin mining helped unlock revenue and power distributionāEEP earned over $100M in 2025.
š What Needs to Happen
African governments must design smart, sovereign mining policies
Encourage local pools, ownership, technical talent
Partnerships that keep value on the continent
Open-source contributions tailored to Africaās needs
šÆ Big Picture
Bitcoin isnāt Africaās lifelineāAfrica is Bitcoinās lifeline.
Its energy, innovation, and resilience could define the future of decentralized money and infrastructure.
