From Idea to Execution: Inside the Bitnob Developers Bootcamp in Kampala, Uganda

In July 2025, Bitnob brought its commitment to empowering African developers to life with a 4-day Developers Bootcamp and Hackathon in Uganda. Backed by Tether, the event gathered over 120 developers, engineers, and tech enthusiasts from across the region to learn, collaborate, and build real-world financial products using Bitcoin and USDT infrastructure.

Uganda is home to a growing developer ecosystem and an active Bitcoin community. By bringing the bootcamp to Kampala, Bitnob aimed to meet developers where they are with practical, hands-on training in the tools that power Bitcoin and cross-border fintech

From in-depth technical sessions to 48 hours of non-stop hacking, the bootcamp was about action. And for many participants, this was a gateway into the future of crypto-powered innovation in Africa.  This event marked a key milestone in Bitnob’s mission to empower Africa’s next generation of software engineers with real tools and real opportunities. 

Day 1 & 2: Less Talk, More Code

The training sessions kicked off with over 120 developers in attendance physically, and even more tuning in virtually from different parts of Africa.

Led by our engineering team, the sessions went deep into:

• The inner workings of Bitcoin Core
  
   
• How USDT (Tether) enables stable transactions in unstable economies
  
   
• How to create and fund virtual wallets using the Bitnob API
  
   
• Building real-time payment flows, BTC/USDT invoicing, and cross-border transfers
  
   
• Security, compliance, and real-world deployment considerations
   

This wasn’t surface-level training. It was technical and intentionally hands-on. Developers left wired with possibilities.

Day 3 & 4: From Learners to Builders

Then came the hackathon.

Developers formed teams with the urgency to build and ship something that solves a real problem, using the tools they’d just learned. This also came with the chance to win from a $3,000 prize pool.

Here’s what came out of it:

🥇 USDT Save — A micro-saving app for stable, preset savings in USDT and BTC. (🏆 $1,500)
🥈 Snapsend — A crypto-powered checkout plugin for merchants. (🏆 $1,000)
🥉 CryptoBill — An automated invoicing tool for freelancers accepting crypto. (🏆 $500)

All three projects used the Bitnob API to solve real payment problems, from savings to merchant payments to billing automation.

The Bigger Picture

We’ve always believed that the future of African tech won’t be built in isolation. It’ll be built in communities, by people who are learning together, solving local problems, and lifting each other up.

That’s what this bootcamp was about. Not just giving out prizes, though yes, $3,000 was shared among the top three teams, but proving that with the right platform, builders across Africa can create meaningful solutions and fast. For Bitnob, the bootcamp in Uganda isn’t a one-off but a statement of intent.

Bitnob will continue investing in developer communities across Africa, with more Tech Grants, more engineering sessions, and more hackathons that don’t just promise support, but deliver it.

Want to get early access to the next Bitnob Developers Bootcamp? Join our Dev community here.