Btrust Acquires African Bitcoin Talent Development firm Qala
The acquisition will see Qala rebrand as Btrust Builders with a new focus on providing training in open-source Bitcoin software development. Btrust is a non-profit fund established by Block’s founder Jack Dorsey and the American rap star Jay Z.
- "Btrust, a non-profit committed to decentralizing Bitcoin software development, has acquired Qala, a training organization for Bitcoin developers and engineers in Africa."
- "The acquisition was completed on September 1, and the deal’s financial terms remain undisclosed."
“When we launched our program in 2021, our goal was clear — to build a critical mass of African engineers with a deep understanding of Bitcoin’s capabilities to transform the continent. Today’s announcement significantly accelerates this mission, strengthening our capacity to not only expand our existing community but effectively resource them to play a major role in influencing Bitcoin’s open-source development as a vital solution to Africa’s unique socio-economic challenges,” said Bernard Parah, co-founder and director of Qala.
- "The acquisition will see Qala rebranded as the Btrust Builders Program to further Btrust’s mission of raising Bitcoin ecosystem builders in the Global South," according to a press release shared with Mariblock.
- "In addition, CEO Femi Longe and Programs Manager Stephanie Titcombe will join Btrust’s team as program leads. Their job will center on training software developers in open-source technologies."
- "Africa has the youngest population in the world, with 60% of its 1.5 billion people under 25 years old."
