Blockchain to be or not to be....
My take is we find ourselves in the precarious position in .KE today that they owners of Capital are the same as the makers of Policy. until this anomaly is addressed then this will forever be an issue not just in Blockchain but in the era of new tech.
Secondly, i think there is an issue of understanding of what Blockchain really is and its use case examples. Unfortunately, there are many "experts" who i have come across who have very little grasp of what blockchain really is.
Solution: The future of blockchain lies in the banking industry in Kenya - the consequences of blockchain for consumers will perhaps be felt most profoundly in Infrastructure ( Resources and Systems in place to facilitate and regulate trade, or the flow of cash - including considerations around user identity and privacy) where developments relating to identity, privacy and security are taking shape. Our banks need to initiate conversations on blockchain based solutions, in-turn lobbying the government in adoption/acceptance of the same, unless we revert to my second point of "understanding" and this becomes a different conversation.
On the issue of criminality, to me this is a non-issue because do we shut down the internet because a teenager in Kenya committed suicide playing the "popular" Blue whale game? Or Shut down Mpesa because it makes it easier for the youth to gamble from their beds? The answer is no - since time-imemorial this go hand in hand, virtue and vice in equal measure i must say..
Currently Barclays and Wave have completed the worlds first blockchain trade finance transaction. Moving to paperless trade would be hugely beneficial in supporting the supply chain, through reduced costs, error free documentation, and faster transfer of original documents to customers.
This is an example of what the market will be able to leverage on and adopt user case examples.
Regards,