UNICCON Group launches Africa’s first blockchain technology

by Arthur · March 31, 2023

UNICCON Group of Companies yesterday launched its blockchain technology – SmartAfri Labs, to drive inclusion of Africans and adoption of the specialized technology in the region.

Chairman of the UNICCON Group, Dr. Chuks Ekwueme, shared insightful statistics to illustrate the poor inclusion and adoption of the blockchain ecosystem in Africa.

He said: “Africa has less than a 5 percent stake in the estimated $1.1 trillion law industry. We have created technology and platforms to drive inclusion by up to 25 percent by the year 2025. For example, our VR headsets are more affordable and will not excluding poor Africans from using the technology This is inclusion.

Ekweme explained that it is wrong to view blockchain technology as crypto. “There is much more to it than that, and that thought should be discarded. We have built this platform, which is a fusion of Web 2.0 and 3.0, and we are keen to be central participants in 4IR. There is a huge market in our NFT market as Nigerians and Africans from the creative and other industries can tap into it to generate wealth and increase GDP,” Ekwueme explained.

The new product, which is the first African blockchain technology, consists of SmartAfri Chain (blockchain node), NFT Marketplace (Create and sell NFTs), SmartAfri Verse (Metaverse), SmartAfri eMarket (merger of 2.0 and 3.0) and UNICCON VR (local made and subsidized headsets). The project seeks to increase efforts for Africans, encourage more developers to enter the niche, and overall drive massive inclusion.

During the welcome speech, Kehinde Ake, General Manager, UNICCON, stated that SmartAfri Labs offers exceptional levels of security, transparency and efficiency, empowering users to transfer assets, store data and execute smart contracts in a decentralized and fraud-free environment. – secure network. “We created this technology to allow Africans to stand tall, raise their heads, spread their shoulders and take giant steps in an ecosystem that was once alien to them,” he said.

Keynote speaker John Paul Nwobodo, who is an industry investment analyst at Adaverse, spoke about the monumental impact of blockchain technology in a variety of industries. Using the banking industry as a reference point, “According to the 2021 World Bank report, 66 percent of Nigerians are unbanked and banks are being recycled by existing financial service providers. The cost of cross-border money transfers is very high and the use of blockchain can help reduce these numbers, make cross-border money transfers cheaper and defy geographical barriers.”

The company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Eval Esege presented SmartAfri Labs and took the audience on an experiential journey about what it does, how it works and its many package benefits. “SmartAfri Labs was borne out of the need to create a blockchain ecosystem that represents African values and culture. We have set up a partnership opportunity available starting today to allow those who resonate with our vision to join us on this journey. “

The launch was attended by representatives from the National Information Technology and Development Agency (NITDA), the Nigerian Computing Society (NCS), Adverse, the blockchain community and the private sector.

Chris Ebosie, Group General Manager at Uniccon, closed the event with a vote of thanks to appreciate the management, staff, consultants, speakers, guests, press and everyone who contributed to the success of the event. A larger number of audiences joined virtually via YouTube, Zoom, Instagram, Twitter and Discord.