In September, blockchain platform Polygon opened applications for its Web3 Bootcamp targeting African developers. The Polygon Bootcamp and Hackathon was the company’s first edition in Africa and sought to introduce developers in the region to the Polygon ecosystem using Xend Finance and Polygon technologies.

The firm has now revealed that more than 5,000 developers from 43 different African countries registered for the bootcamp with 2,700 being selected for the eight-week intensive mentorship program. Polygon initially targeted to have 2,000 join the bootcamp but it was almost tripled.

The numbers presented a clear picture of the interest Web3 is gaining in Africa despite the sapce being scanty. In a previous interview, Damilare Aregbesola, the Developer Marketing Manager for Africa at Polygon noted that Web3 represents the next generation of the internet, one that focuses on shifting power from big tech companies to individual users.

There is a lot of interest amongst youths, especially in countries like Nigeria and Kenya, but most don’t have access to adequate learning resources to better understand the space.’’ Damilare said.

The bootcamp which is almost coming to an end has two tracks namely: the Beginners track and the Mastery track. The Beginners track will focus on the introduction to Web3. This track will be open for developers who are new in the web3 space and do not have any Web3 experience yet. The best performing developer in this category will win $5000, while the first and second runners-up will get $3000 and $2000 respectively. Additionally, the next top 10 projects will each get $500.

The Polygon Africa Web3 Bootcamp Mastery track will, on the other hand, focus on advanced Web3 learning, and is targeted at those who have some experience in the Web3 space. The first, second and third project in this category will be awarded $10000, $7000 and $5000 respectively. The top three projects will also get direct access to Polygon’s Accelerator program, for further mentorship and funding, while the next top 30 projects will each be awarded $750.

‘’I’m excited to have a chance to be immersed in Web3. Learning from experts in the space and healthy, educative competition will be good for me’’ Norman Mico RWIGENZA, a developer from Rwanda noted.

‘’I’m excited to meet industry experts and connect with other like-minded developers. It’s truly a rare opportunity to be surrounded by people who are as passionate as I am about blockchain.’’ Kenyan Developer Wilfridah Chepkwony added.

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