Btrust Builders

Strengthening Africa’s Bitcoin Developer Pipeline: Reflections from 2025

Btrust Builders

Btrust Builders

— 8 min read
Strengthening Africa’s Bitcoin Developer Pipeline: Reflections from 2025

In 2025, hundreds of developers across Africa took their first steps into Bitcoin’s open‑source ecosystem, learning how it works, how to contribute to it, and how to build sustainable careers around it.

The Btrust Builders program was designed to move developers from curiosity, to capability, to contribution.

This blog shares the story of the 2025 program, what we achieved, what we learned, and why it matters for the future of Bitcoin development in Africa and the wider Global South.

Why Btrust Builders Exists

Bitcoin’s promise is global, but its development has historically been concentrated in a few regions. Btrust was founded to help change that reality by decentralizing Bitcoin open‑source development and supporting talent in the Global South.

The Builders program sits at the heart of this mission. It recognizes the truth that talent is everywhere, but access, structure, and sustained support are not.

Btrust Builders was created to close that gap by giving African developers the education, mentorship, and real‑world exposure needed to confidently engage with Bitcoin open source.

The 2025 Builders Program at a Glance

2025 was the Builders program’s most ambitious year to date.

Over the course of the year, 493 developers were supported across all pathways, from Africa and beyond.

The program received 1,800+ applications, a 180% increase over the previous year, reflecting growing demand for structured Bitcoin technical education.

Developers came from 15+ countries, spanning West Africa, East Africa, Southern and Central Africa, with additional participation from South America, Europe, and South Asia.

Unlike previous single-cohort models, Builders 2025 evolved into a continuous, modular learning pipeline. Developers could enter the program at any stage; whether they were exploring Bitcoin for the first time or ready to contribute to open-source projects.

A Modular Learning Model

One of the defining features of Builders 2025 was its multi‑pathway design. Instead of forcing developers through a linear track, the program offered multiple entry points based on skill level, experience, and goals.

This meant developers could start with foundational understanding, build hands‑on skills, and then move toward open‑source contributions when ready.

Across the year, Builders delivered:

  • Foundational learning to anchor understanding
  • Intermediate technical education for hands‑on skill‑building
  • Advanced contribution environments to prepare developers for open‑source work
  • Ongoing support through mentorship, peer discussions, and the Builders Resource Hub

This flexible design made the program accessible to a wide range of learners without compromising depth, rigor, or technical standards.

Learning Pathways

Mastering Bitcoin

For many developers, the journey began here. Using Mastering Bitcoin as a core text, this pathway helped participants build mental models of how Bitcoin actually works, from keys and transactions to mining, wallets, and consensus.

Through guided discussions and peer learning, participants gained confidence discussing Bitcoin at a technical level.

Of the 96 developers enrolled, 41 graduated, leaving with clarity and a solid conceptual foundation.

“I’d tried reading Mastering Bitcoin several times without success. This time, the group discussions made the concepts click,” one graduate shared.

Learn Bitcoin from the Command Line (Bitcoin CLI)

The next step for many was translating ideas into code. This pathway bridged theory and practice.

Developers worked directly with Bitcoin Core through the command line, learning how to run nodes, inspect transactions, construct raw transactions, and explore the network’s inner workings directly.

68 developers joined this pathway, with 24 graduating after seven weeks of structured exercises, peer sessions, and live group walkthroughs. Many demonstrated readiness to advance into open‑source‑focused pathways.

Rust for Bitcoiners

As interest in protocol‑level development grew, Rust for Bitcoiners became the most popular pathway.

Participants combined Rust programming with Bitcoin internals, learning how transactions are encoded, validated, and processed at the system level.

Closing with a capstone project where students built a command‑line tool that interacted with Bitcoin Core via RPC, this pathway gave learners both the skills and confidence to contribute to projects like rust‑bitcoin, BDK, LDK, and Fedimint.

Of 128 developers enrolled, 38 graduated, making this one of the most technically demanding and rewarding Builders experiences of 2025.

Language Clubs

For early‑career developers building foundational programming fluency, the Language Clubs were a low‑pressure but powerful starting point.

Using Exercism challenges and Builders‑designed Bitcoin examples, participants practiced Python or C++ in real Bitcoin contexts. This track emphasized fundamentals, problem‑solving, discipline, and code structure, while helping learners see how these languages power Bitcoin systems.

The cohort was small (20 developers) but represented one of the most inclusive spaces yet. About 25% of participants and half of the graduates were female.

Start Your Career in BOSS: Stepping into Open Source

The Start Your Career in BOSS pathway represented the most advanced track in 2025. Designed by Chaincode Labs, it exposed developers to the realities of open‑source contribution: ambiguity, independence, maintainer feedback, and long review cycles.

Interest was intense. 1,290 developers applied, with 181 admitted, and 21 advancing into deeper proof‑of‑concept work.

While no participants formally graduated under the program’s strict criteria, the pathway surfaced critical insights about readiness gaps and the need for stronger support structures.

In response, we launched a support plan: pairing developers with mentors, running weekly stand‑ups, peer reviews, and even well‑being check‑ins to maintain momentum.

This was a turning point. Engagement increased significantly, and several participants went on to attempt real contributions, submit pull requests, and continue contributing beyond the program.

The Open Source Bootcamp

If there was one standout success in 2025, it was the Open Source Bootcamp.

This four‑week sprint was designed to bridge the gap between training and contribution.

38 developers from 7 countries joined, guided by Builders faculty and mentors through weekly standups, contribution walkthroughs, and project reviews.

By the end:

  • 103 code submissions were recorded
  • 50+ pull requests were submitted across major Bitcoin projects
  • 12 PRs were merged, including 3 to Bitcoin Core
  • Contributions to projects like BDK, BlueWallet, BTCPay Server, Rust‑Payjoin, Polar, and others
  • 15 developers were identified for the developer grant watchlist

For many participants, this was the first time contributing publicly to open‑source software.

“Seeing my PR merged for the first time,” one developer said, “was proof that my code could make a difference.”

The Resource Hub

One of 2025’s biggest successes was the Btrust Builders Resource Hub, which grew into a widely shared knowledge base across the global Bitcoin developer community.

What started as an internal library quickly became recognized by both faculty and non‑Btrust developers as one of the best‑curated Bitcoin education resources available today.

The Resource Hub became a map; a curated, open‑access collection of Bitcoin developer resources to help Builders (and anyone else) keep learning long after formal training ends.

The Resource Hub covers:

  • Step‑by‑step notes and open-source cheat sheets for getting started: how to make your first pull request, find beginner‑friendly issues, and work effectively in public
  • A list of open‑source Bitcoin projects, organized by language and tech stack
  • Hands‑on materials and references for onboarding to developer environments
  • Documentation and technical writing best practices
  • Curated technical and non‑technical articles spanning every corner of Bitcoin learning

Everything on the Hub is open, living, and designed to inspire exploration rather than memorization. Developers are encouraged to verify, not trust, mirroring the ethos of Bitcoin itself.

By the end of 2025, it had become the go-to reference shared in workshops, meetups, and open‑source circles across the continent and beyond.

Looking ahead, the Hub will continue to grow in 2026, adding pathway‑specific resource maps, deeper technical walkthroughs, and more practical contribution guides for new developers joining the ecosystem.

Impact Beyond the Program

The impact of Builders 2025 goes beyond participation numbers or graduation rates. What mattered most was how developers progressed after the program, into contribution, recognition, and sustained involvement in the Bitcoin ecosystem.

Funded Open‑Source Contributors

In 2025, several Builders alumni transitioned into fully funded open‑source Bitcoin work, supported by Btrust and the Human Rights Foundation.

These developers are now contributing to core Bitcoin open-source projects:

These outcomes reflect the core goal of Builders: supporting developers beyond learning and into long‑term, real‑world open‑source contributions.

Builders Alumni Starting Their Own Projects

Not all outcomes from Builders 2025 took the form of upstream contributions or grant‑funded work. For some participants, the program became the launchpad for starting their own Bitcoin projects.

Equipped with stronger technical foundations, open‑source workflows, and peer support, several alumni went on to build and experiment with new tools, applications, and infrastructure within the Bitcoin ecosystem. One of these projects is Bitika, which recently secured a Human Rights Foundation grant.

These efforts reflect another important dimension of the Builders pipeline: empowering developers not only to contribute to existing projects, but also to identify problems, explore solutions, and build new Bitcoin‑native products rooted in open‑source principles.

Contributors to Watch: Top Program Performers

Builders 2025 also placed strong emphasis on recognizing high‑performing participants and giving them visibility within the broader Bitcoin ecosystem.

The top five students from the 2025 program received full sponsorship to attend Btrust’s end‑of‑year events and the Africa Bitcoin Conference in Mauritius. They were also formally recognized and awarded at the 2025 Btrust Gala Dinner, celebrating their contributions and growth throughout the year.

These top students are: Ayokunle Akinsiku, Musa Haruna, Frank Chinedu, Busayo Dada and Yankho Ngolleka.

Their recognition reflects both technical progress and the consistency, discipline, and collaboration expected of open‑source contributors.

Faculty, Mentors, and a Contributor‑Led Model

Builders 2025 reinforced a hands‑on, contributor‑led learning model where participants learned directly from people actively building in the ecosystem.

Builders faculty and chaperones were not only instructors but also active open‑source contributors during the program. Notably, several of them also became grant recipients in 2025, receiving funding to become full-time Bitcoin open‑source contributors, demonstrating how the Builders pipeline effectively supports long‑term participation beyond the program itself.

Mentors, many of whom are themselves funded open‑source contributors, also played a critical role in guiding participants through technical challenges, contribution workflows, and the realities of working in public.

Recognition Across the African Bitcoin Ecosystem

The impact of Builders 2025 was also recognized beyond our community.

At the Africa Bitcoin Conference, the African Bitcoiners team named Btrust Builders the 2025 African Bitcoin Project of the Year. This recognition reflected the program’s growing influence across the continent and its role in strengthening Bitcoin education, open‑source contribution, and developer pipelines in Africa.

Skills That Outlast the Program

Beyond code contributions and funding outcomes, Builders participants developed the habits that define successful open‑source contributors: communication, constructive feedback, project discipline, and the resilience to stay engaged long after the coursework ends.

Why This Matters

The 2025 Builders Program proved that when developers are supported with the right mix of structure, community, and mentorship, they don’t just learn Bitcoin, they become part of its story.

Builders has matured from a series of workshops into a long‑term contributor pipeline. It’s now one of the key bridges connecting developer talent in the Global South to the global Bitcoin ecosystem.

Every new cohort adds to a growing network of people equipped to build and sustain Bitcoin’s open‑source foundations from every corner of the world.

Appreciation: The People Behind Builders

Programs like ours don’t succeed on structure alone. They succeed because of people.

Btrust Builders 2025 was made possible by the dedication of faculty and chaperones, many of whom are alumni themselves; mentors who gave their time, experience, and patience; and the core Builders team, including Stephanie, the program lead, and Kelvin, the engineering lead, who carried the vision from design through delivery.

Just as importantly, the wider Builders community, learners, alumni, contributors, and supporters, shaped the culture that made collaboration, accountability, and growth possible.

Together, they helped turn Builders into a shared effort to expand who gets to build Bitcoin.

What to Look Out for in 2026

The work doesn’t stop here. 2025 was about building structure and 2026 is about scaling.

After overwhelming requests from the community, we will be expanding the number of pathway cohorts this year, opening more on‑ramps for developers at all stages.

As Bitcoin grows, so must the diversity of the people building it. The Btrust Builders program is one way that future is being written: deliberately, collaboratively, and openly.

To learn more about our pathways and join the next cohort, explore the Resource Hub, or join our community, visit our website.

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 pathways to sustainable Bitcoin development careers.

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