African Bitcoin developers receive the launch of Btrust Builders' opening fellowship program
Btrust, the Bitcoin talent development company co-founded by Jack Dorsey and Jay Z, has announced the start of its 2024 fellowship for software engineers. The programme, led by John Smith, aims to train African developers to contribute to Bitcoin and lightning development and build products tailored to the African context.
The programme was previously known as Qala, which was acquired by Btrust last September. Femi Longe, the program lead at Btrust Builders, was previously the CEO of Qala. The acquisition aims to further the development of open-source projects in the Global South.
The developers were selected after a series of interviews and tests, with the first cohort comprising 55 participants. A participant from the first cohort, Jennifer Ezeobi, expressed a desire to spend more time working on open-source Bitcoin projects.
Longe has emphasised the importance of African representation in Bitcoin open-source development, although he did not specify why during the acquisition announcement. Previous cohorts were engaged full-time and paid accordingly, with all 12 participants securing job placements after completing their fellowship.
The training programme includes daily stand-ups, written updates, technical article writing, mentorship, and more. However, questions have been raised about whether the three-month timeframe is sufficient to train the participants, considering similar programmes last up to a year.
The participants will earn remuneration based on their active participation and timely completion of monthly tasks. The talent firm, which faced funding challenges relying solely on grants, hopes that this remuneration will attract and retain top talent.
Btrust's acquisition of Qala was made to enhance open-source development in the Global South, with a particular focus on Africa. The company aims to further this mission by providing opportunities for African developers to contribute to the Bitcoin and lightning ecosystem and build products that meet the unique needs of the African market.
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