The BSV blockchain ecosystem’s Blockchain for Government Initiative recently completed a historic week-long official visit to Khartoum, Republic of the Sudan, at the invitation of and under the patronage of the Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Transformation. The visit centred around Sudan’s first-ever Blockchain Summit & Workshop, a two-day event held April 8-9 and led by the BSV ecosystem. The conference and surrounding meetings explored how blockchain technology can advance digital transformation as the country rebuilds and re-emerges after 30 years of isolation from much of the world.
BSV’s Blockchain for Government Initiative is led by Bitcoin Association, the Switzerland-based non-profit organization that works to advance use of the Bitcoin SV (BSV) blockchain, protocol and distributed data network. The initiative works with government bodies, NGOs and public sector agencies to advance large-scale implementation of blockchain technology for the benefit of citizens, including through delivery of e-government services, tools for greater financial inclusion and improved transparency, as well as applications that foster public good for municipalities and entire countries.
The BSV blockchain ecosystem brought an international delegation to Sudan, led by Bitcoin Association Founding President Jimmy Nguyen (USA) together with Ahmed Yousif, cofounder of Black Stone Data Solutions (Yousif was born in Sudan and now lives in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia). They were joined by CEOs and founders of blockchain businesses working across a range of industries, spanning healthcare, supply chain management, financial services and smart cities, along with other senior representatives:
- Muhammad Salman Anjum – Chief mate at InvoiceMate and head of the BSV Hub for the Middle East & South Asia (UAE/Pakistan)
- Mohammed Ibrahim Jega – Cofounder of Domineum Blockchain Solutions (Nigeria)
- Stephan Nilsson – CEO of UNISOT and Abendum (Norway)
- Robert Rice – CEO of Transmira (USA)
- Phillip Runyan – Managing partner of Veridat (USA)
- Patrick Prinz – Europe & Operations manager of Bitcoin Association (Switzerland).
BSV’s Blockchain for Government Initiative organised the Republic of the Sudan’s historic first-ever blockchain conference and workshop, held at the Al Salam Hotel in Khartoum on April 8-9 under the patronage of the Ministry of Telecommunication & Digital Transformation. The event welcomed government officials, business leaders and university students to learn how blockchain technology can build better digital infrastructure and grow the domestic economy through diverse use cases – including identity management; e-government services; public records; financial inclusion; Islamic finance; auditing; natural resource management and sustainability; smart cities; supply chain and cargo tracking; health care data; educational/professional certifications; and better transparency.
A prestigious line up of speakers included the visiting BSV delegation, senior figures from both the Sudanese government and multi-national NGOs with a permanent regional presence – including the United Nations Development Programme. They were joined remotely by experts from many international BSV and related businesses from around the world – including Centbee; EHR Data; Elas Digital; Faiā; nChain; Predict Ecology; Smart Systems; VXPass; Weather SV; and Metastreme.
In addition to the two-day Blockchain Summit & Workshop, the BSV delegation was invited to separate meetings in the offices of the Central Bank of Sudan; the Ministry of Telecommunication & Digital Transformation; the Ministry of Interior Affairs; as well as at SudaTel Telecom Group (one of Sudan’s leading telecommunication companies) and the 249 Startups hub for entrepreneurs.
During an interview at the conclusion of the two-day blockchain event, Hashim Hasabelrasoul Hashim, Minister of Telecommunication and Digital Transformation for the Republic of the Sudan, said:
‘The event was very great, very informative. The first-ever time in Sudan to have a blockchain ecosystem team to visit the country. People were very interactive, very excited about the event and I think that there will be many more to come after this event.’
“Having the blockchain ecosystem in Sudan itself is a huge success for us. Having the engagement with the experts with our team members – with the ministry, with the industry – private and government entities to promote working together in different groups to work out what is next.”
Minister Hashim also explained why blockchain technology can be so impactful for Sudan at this time:
“In Sudan, we are in a transition period after thirty years of sanctions and thirty years of a bad regime. Now we are in a transition period in which we want to reform our country and reform the government. Digital transformation is a key pillar in this reformation. We are working on building a national strategy for digital transformation that aims to change the government from manual to digital, to make sure that the government will be more efficient, more smart, more in control and more transparent.
“I can clearly see a role for blockchain throughout different verticals within the government; digital identification is one of many, financial inclusion, digital certifications and many more to come, where we can benefit from blockchain. We want to be the first and lead on this technology in the country because it will enable us to really depend on real data that is secure.”
BSV delegation leader President Jimmy Nguyen commented:
“Blockchain can help us to build a better world and our trip to Sudan left us feeling even more inspired to make that vision a reality. On behalf of the global BSV ecosystem, we were honoured to lead this first-ever blockchain delegation to Sudan and extend our sincere thanks to Minister Hashim and the entire team at the Republic of the Sudan’s Ministry of Telecommunication and Digital Transformation for their warm hospitality and ambitious vision for the digital future of their country. As we explore opportunities for initial blockchain projects in Sudan, we know that BSV’s massive scaling and focus on data network capabilities can provide the blockchain power needed to advance digital transformation for Sudan and greater Africa.”
