Celebrating the Q1, 2026 Pathway Cohort Graduation
The first pathways of 2026 at Btrust Builders officially concluded recently. Between March and April 2026, developers from across Africa and beyond participated in two learning pathways: Mastering Bitcoin and Learn Bitcoin from the Command Line.
Each pathway ran in two formats: a structured live cohort and an open self‑paced track, allowing developers to participate either through scheduled weekly discussions or by progressing independently while engaging with moderators and the wider community.
Across both pathways, 265 developers from 24 countries took part in the program. By the end of the cohorts, 37 developers successfully graduated from the live tracks after meeting the technical and participation requirements.
The live cohorts were also among the most geographically and gender‑diverse groups in the Builders pathways to date, bringing together developers from across Africa as well as participants from outside the continent.
These pathways are part of Btrust Builders’ broader developer education strategy: a structured progression that helps developers move from learning Bitcoin fundamentals to contributing meaningfully to open-source projects.
Mastering Bitcoin
The Mastering Bitcoin pathway is an 8‑week foundational program designed to help developers understand how Bitcoin works from the ground up.
Participants study Mastering Bitcoin: Programming the Open Blockchain (3rd Edition) by Andreas Antonopoulos, exploring topics ranging from transactions and wallets to mining, consensus, and the deeper mechanics of the protocol. The pathway emphasizes technical reading, critical thinking, and collaborative discussion, preparing developers to engage seriously with Bitcoin development and open‑source work.
Live Cohort
The first live cohort brought together 74 developers from 18 countries, supported by 13 chaperones and teaching assistants who facilitated weekly study sessions.
One of the cohort’s highlights was its strong diversity: 34% of participants were women, one of the highest levels of female participation across any Btrust Builders cohort to date. The group also included developers from countries appearing in the program for the first time, including Burundi, Namibia, and Mozambique.
Over eight weeks, participants worked through the book chapter by chapter, preparing answers to Socratic questions, discussing concepts with partners, and joining weekly 90‑minute group study sessions where learners unpacked complex ideas together.
By the end of the program, 18 developers from nine countries graduated, meeting the pathway’s requirements for participation, preparation, and understanding.
Learners consistently highlighted the community and collaborative environment as one of the most valuable aspects of the experience.
"I wanted to get in‑depth knowledge about Bitcoin. The Mastering Bitcoin cohort didn't just provide that, it provided a community too," said Carita Ndibe from Nigeria.
Self‑Paced Track
Alongside the live cohort, 100 developers joined the self‑paced Mastering Bitcoin track, studying the same material independently while engaging with moderators and the community on Discord.
The track provides structure without fixed schedules, offering learners suggested weekly pacing, engagement prompts, progress milestones, and community discussions to support independent learning.
Moderators supported learners throughout the program and hosted an open office hour session where they explored different topics.
Learners were encouraged to progress at their own pace. Those who completed the program have been invited to share their takeaways, provide feedback on the pathway, and explore next steps such as upcoming Builders pathways.
The Discord space remains active so participants can continue discussing ideas, asking questions, and supporting others working through the material.
Learn Bitcoin from the Command Line
While Mastering Bitcoin focuses on conceptual foundations, Learn Bitcoin from the Command Line focuses on hands‑on interaction with Bitcoin software.
This 7‑week pathway teaches developers how to work directly with Bitcoin Core using the command‑line interface, following the book Learning Bitcoin from the Command Line by Christopher Allen and Shannon Appelcline.
Instead of just reading about Bitcoin’s mechanics, learners run commands, spin up nodes, construct transactions, inspect scripts, and explore the protocol by interacting with it directly.
Live Cohort
The first CLI cohort brought together 61 developers from 16 countries, supported by 14 chaperones and teaching assistants.
The group included participants from across Africa as well as developers from India and the United States, expanding the global reach of the program.
Throughout the seven weeks, learners worked through progressively challenging exercises, experimenting with Bitcoin Core commands, analyzing blockchain data, and building practical understanding of how the system works under the hood.
The pathway concluded with a capstone project, where participants applied what they had learned in a practical scenario.
By the end of the program, 19 developers graduated, representing seven countries.
"This cohort changed what I think is possible for me in Bitcoin development. I leave with the confidence to keep going, to contribute, to build, and to understand Bitcoin at a level I couldn't have imagined a few months ago," said Nkatha Sharon from Kenya.
Another participant reflected on how the pathway deepened their technical understanding:
"I already understood Bitcoin at a high level, but the bitcoin-cli pathway helped me understand it much better. If you want to really learn how Bitcoin works, this kind of training is a great way to get your hands dirty with the low-level details," added Tuedon Tuoyo from Nigeria.
Self‑Paced Track
Alongside the live cohort, 30 developers joined the self‑paced CLI track, progressing through the same material independently while engaging with moderators on Discord.
Moderators supported learners and hosted an open office hour session where participants shared projects they had built during the pathway, including a multi‑signature wallet in Python and a dust cleaner application.
What We Learned
Across the pathways, peer discussion emerged as one of the most powerful drivers of learning.
Learners consistently rated the weekly discussions, breakout rooms, and collaborative problem solving as the most valuable parts of the experience. The pathways also brought together developers from a wide range of backgrounds and countries, helping build a growing community of Bitcoin developers connected through shared learning.
Participants also shared thoughtful suggestions which will help shape the next iteration of the pathways.
What’s Next?
Many graduates are continuing their journey through the Btrust Builders ecosystem. Several participants plan to move on to upcoming Q2 pathways; Rust for Bitcoiners or the Language Clubs. Those who prefer to join future cohorts can also join the waitlist for upcoming pathway cohorts, as listed in the Pathway Calendar.
A number of learners have begun publishing technical write‑ups, sharing their knowledge in local developer communities, and exploring opportunities to contribute to Bitcoin open‑source Bitcoin projects.
Beyond structured learning, graduates are also encouraged to immerse themselves in the broader Bitcoin developer ecosystem by participating in developer communities such as BitDevs, as well as meetups, hackathons, and other Bitcoin-focused events. Staying connected to the community is one of the most effective ways to keep learning, find collaborators, and gradually move toward meaningful open‑source contributions.
Thank You to the Builders Community
These cohorts were made possible by the dedication of our faculty and the broader Builders community who supported learners throughout the journey.
To everyone who showed up each week, asked questions, helped their peers, and pushed themselves to understand Bitcoin more deeply, thank you for being part of this learning community.
About Us
Btrust Builders is Btrust’s comprehensive engineering program dedicated to training and funding African software developers to contribute to Bitcoin and Lightning open-source projects. The Builders program provides technical mentorship, community support, and structured pathways to sustainable Bitcoin development careers.
