Blockchain technology continues to witness unprecedented growth and adoption in leaps and bounds. As part of efforts to provide and showcase blockchain solutions for businesses and organisations with enhanced transparency, security and efficiency within South Africa, the South Africa-Switzerland Bilateral Research Chair in Blockchain Technology at the University of Johannesburg organised the inaugural UJ Blockchain Demo Day on 3 October 2024, at the Johannesburg Business School (JBS) Auditorium, University of Johannesburg.
Research chair's vision and objectives
In his opening address, the Bilateral Research Chairholder, Prof Nnamdi Nwulu, warmly welcomed the guest speakers and attendees to the demo day event, including industry players and a cross-section of university staff and students.
According to Prof Nwulu, the South Africa-Switzerland Bilateral Research Chair in Blockchain Technology at the University of Johannesburg, aims to explore the advantages and barriers to integrating blockchain technology in supply chain management, emphasising building real-world blockchain applications. Professor Nwulu outlined two key implementation areas for the Chair, focusing on blockchain applications in South Africa and Switzerland's import/export sectors: agri-food and medical supply chains. The UJ Blockchain Demo Day was an avenue to provide attendees drawn from all works of life with an experiential display of various blockchain projects and products from the research chair.
Keynote address
Delivering the keynote address titled: "Digital Identity in Africa: Blockchain's Game-Changing Role", Anushka Soma-Patel of the Input Output Hong Kong (IOHK) group highlighted the considerable challenge of identity management in Africa, with a reported 540 million Africans without any legal identity in 2024, while a much larger number of people are without digital identity. She proposed using blockchain technology and constructs in combination with 4IR technology as solutions to the identity management crisis across all sectors, including government, finance and asset management.
Soma-Patel offered the following recommendations for achieving a self-sustaining future on the African continent for blockchain developers and practitioners.
- Have a clear vision.
- Solve a real problem.
- Balance incentives/values.
- Self-sustaining business model.
She concluded her discussion with a quote from Walt Disney: "The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing," challenging the attendees to start engaging in actions that contribute to a sustainable future in Africa.
Blockchain, AI for legal and intellectual property management
Maurice Crespi, an attorney at Schindlers Attorneys, delivered an insightful session on applying blockchain and AI technology in the legal sector and for asset and intellectual property management. During the talk titled: "Knowledge Workers and Artificial Intelligence", to demonstrate the practical interoperability of blockchain with AI and its potential legal applications, Crespi showcased an AI application capable of handling court cases with their unique complexities. The interactive Q&A session with attendees highlighted significant concerns regarding ethics and data bias, indicating that these issues must be addressed to successfully implement and integrate blockchain technology.
Levelling up: Technical skills for Africa's blockchain developers
Karabo Kayak, co-founder of Africa's Blockchain Club and OffConnectX, a self-taught software engineer and blockchain expert, delivered an eye-opening talk encouraging the attendees to advance their blockchain skills. He highlighted the core technical skills needed for blockchain technology, including programming languages, smart contracts, blockchain architectures and protocols, web3 development and cryptography and security. He also reiterated the importance of building blockchain solutions to learn and upskill.
Introducing our projects
Eleven blockchain-based projects from the research chair at different development and deployment stages were presented and demonstrated to the attendees.
Project demo 1: Asset tracking management system
This innovative web application incorporates blockchain and IOT technologies in the agri-food supply chain. The system collects details about the food products, including expiration date and other production-relevant information, and securely stores these details on the blockchain to ensure transparency and immutability. The asset tracking system tracks the movement and state of the items until they reach the consumer to ensure and verify the safety of food items for consumption.
Project demo 2: Food Trolley
The Food Trolley app was developed and deployed for the Student Representation Council officials of the University of Johannesburg to assist with the meal parcel collection process. The app has eliminated multiple points of applications and long wait times in queues by students for food parcel collection. In addition, the app provides secure data management for auditing purposes with the integration of the Hedera blockchain.
Project demo 3: Thato AI
Thato is a friendly conversational AI assistant capable of communicating in official South African languages. It is developed using natural language processing (NLP), machine learning, text generation through GenAI and knowledge base integration. Thato AI can handle human-like dialogue in all 11 official South African languages, automating tasks and educating users about blockchain technology by answering all blockchain-related queries. Thato AI aims to achieve accessibility and digital inclusivity for all South Africans.
Project demo 4: Cap' n Trade
In a bid to reduce the carbon footprint due to urbanisation and industrialisation activities, Cap' n Trade is a decentralised mobile application built on the Hedera blockchain. The app allows high-emitting industries to access automated readings of their carbon emissions, with emission limits set by governmental or environmental authorities. In a transparent and immutable manner, companies can trade their excess carbon quotas with other entities in the carbon market, facilitating the transition to renewable energy effectively and rewardingly.
Project demo 5: Tranzfile
Tranzfile is a web app for file transfer and secured decentralised storage using end-to-end encryption powered by Advanced Encryption Standard 256 (AES256) and IPFS. It boasts faster file upload and download speed, file in perpetuity and the ability to set access restrictions. The product targets individuals and institutions who value data privacy and security.
Project demo 6: Textile Trace
Textile Trace is a blockchain-based startup solution that aims to tackle the supply chain problem in the textile industry in Africa. It ensures seamless operation between the buyers and sellers and incorporates RFID and QR code technology.
Project demo 7: TenderBlock
The current tender process in South Africa and most countries within the African continent is plagued by a lack of transparency, unaccountability, fraud, unreliable documentation processes and lack of technological adoption. TenderBlock is a solution based on smart contracts for the tender and procurement process. It integrates secure and immutable document storage and automated and transparent evaluation of bids, reducing human bias in the approval process.
Project demo 8: Big Five Fixer
The idea behind the Big Five Fixerstart-up stemmed from a desire to solve trust and automation challenges in the automotive industry. The project recently won a gold medal in blockchain technology at the BRICS Future Skills and Tech Challenge in Russia. It is a blockchain-powered solution that connects drivers or car owners with automobile repairers or mechanics. The application, which is currently in development, will incorporate features such as GPS technology, road assistance services, mechanic booking capabilities and a secure and seamless payment process, among many others.
Project demo 9: Lema
Lema is an AgriTech web-based application designed to create transparent markets for small-scale farmers, using blockchain technology to ensure product visibility and traceability. Its goal is to connect farmers, buyers, suppliers, and specialists efficiently and transparently. The target users of this platform include farmers, agri-processors, input suppliers, buyers, drivers and more.
Project demo 10: Agromap
AgroMap addresses the challenges of conventional agricultural information systems, such as lack of data integrity, frequent data manipulation, centralised record-keeping, and a lack of transparency. AgroMap is designed as a blockchain-powered farm management system to ensure secure and transparent data management for farmers and service providers. The core features of AgroMap include blockchain, hardware integration, AI and data analysis, and data processing and management. Two interfaces are provided to interact with the system: the farmer dashboard and the service provider dashboard.
Project demo 11: VoteX
Existing electoral processes pose unique challenges, such as a lack of transparency, accountability issues, low voter turnout, the risk of fraud, delays and inaccuracies in results and data security concerns. In response to these issues, VoteX offers a range of unique features, including blockchain security, a dependable student verification process, real-time election process monitoring, immutable records, and more. VoteX is a blockchain-based electoral app designed to enhance transparency, accountability, and engagement during electoral processes at the University of Johannesburg, with potential use in other democratic processes at various levels of government.
Closing remarks
For Dr Tebello Mathaba of the University of Johannesburg, the future of blockchain technology in South Africa and the continent at large holds great promise for solving various challenges currently facing the agri-food and medical supply chain industries.
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