Why are you participating for Based Africa?

We are participating in the Based Africa Buildathon to harness the potential of blockchain technology for African creators. Over the past three years, we have been building the Kenya NFT club, bringing together local and international creators, collectors and NFT enthusiasts leading to the inugrual NFT Afrika event 2024, where we reached over 800 attendees across Kenya, Uganda, and Tanzania, successfully onboarding numerous artists into the blockchain space. We are driven to amplify our impact by establishing the Onchain Africa Art Fund for the base buildathon. This fund will enable us to onboard more creators, provide financial support, and foster a vibrant, decentralized digital art ecosystem.

What challenges are you focusing on?

Over the past three years of engaging and onboarding African artists into the blockchain ecosystem, we have identified a substantial lack of collectors and financial support, such as creative-focused grants, to sustain artists. Other challenges include high upfront costs of minting NFTs, a lack of understanding of blockchain technology, and limited access to collectors.

How does your submission address this challenge?

The Onchain Africa Creators Fund (OACF) is designed to onboard African artists into the blockchain ecosystem by providing them with the necessary tools, resources, and financial support. Through mini-grants, we will cover minting costs, while our educational programs will demystify blockchain technology. By creating the first blockchain-powered African art collection, we will connect artists directly to global collectors, solving the problem of visibility and market access for creators. This initiative will not only empower individual artists but also foster a sense of community and collaboration within the African art scene.

Challenges we ran into

A major challenge we've encountered is finding the easiest on-ramp solution for artists. Many artists are new to the world of blockchain and NFTs, and simplifying the onboarding process while maintaining security and functionality has been critical. We explored various wallet solutions and payment gateways, but the diversity in regional accessibility made it difficult to find a one-size-fits-all solution. Additionally, many artists struggled with understanding gas fees and transaction processes. To address this, we tested multiple platforms, ultimately working closely with ecosystem partners to customize solutions that are both artist-friendly and scalable for growth.

Offering hands-on support and integrating low-barrier entry points, like custodial wallets or platforms with fiat payment options, helped bridge that gap.

Additional Features

Before the Buildathon, we concentrated on hosting NFT 101 workshops and numerous summits aimed at educating artists on blockchain and NFTs. However, during this Buildathon, we introduced the OACF Initiative—a platform designed to provide artists with more direct financial gains. not only simplifies the onboarding and minting process but also integrates decentralized financial tools that enable artists to earn and manage revenue more effectively. It’s a major step beyond education, offering real financial empowerment to African creators.