Nigeria Local Node - Regional Evaluation

General
1

As per the the Framework for local nodes, this is a first-stage proposal required to get approval from the Foundation and the DAO on running a local node in Nigeria. a more comprehensive proposal will be submitted in the coming weeks.

We welcome feedback and insights from the Scroll community and local leaders. Please find the live document here

  1. Web3 Adoption: How would you describe the current level of Web3 adoption in your region? Include links to relevant metrics or research, as available.

Nigeria has a massive young population with around 42 million people aged 18-35 who are tech-savvy and increasingly involved in crypto. With about $400 million in yearly peer-to-peer trading, there are roughly 7,500 active blockchain developers in the country, as reported by the Africa Blockchain Institute in 2024.

Web3 adoption in Nigeria is steadily growing, driven by high crypto literacy, economic necessity (Local currency devaluation and High inflation), and a strong developer base. Nigeria consistently ranks among the top countries in global crypto adoption.

There’s real traction and hunger, but also clear signals of untapped potential, especially in bringing more developers and users into scalable L2 environments like Scroll.

  1. Regulatory Landscape: Are there any legal restrictions on blockchain technology in your country? If the regulation is favorable, please elaborate.

The regulatory environment in Nigeria has been complex but is shifting toward clarity. While the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) previously restricted banks from facilitating crypto-related transactions, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a set of guidelines in 2022 recognizing digital assets as securities and establishing a framework for their registration.

The shift from resistance to regulation creates a perfect window to scale community-driven infrastructure like Scroll.

3. Adoption Challenges: What are the biggest challenges to crypto adoption in your region?

Regulation - The biggest challenge has been the uncertain regulatory environment; however, with the recent digital asset bill (Investments and Securities Act 2024) that was signed into law in 2025, there is a strong sign that things are changing for good.

Infrastructure Barriers:
Internet access and reliable electricity remain unevenly distributed across the country, affecting consistent access to blockchain services, especially in rural areas.

Education and Literacy Gaps:
There’s still a knowledge divide, particularly beyond major cities. Many users do not fully understand how crypto works, leading to misuse, security issues, and missed opportunities. Different communities are actively working towards bridging this gap.

Limited Institutional Support:
With banks and most traditional financial institutions maintaining distance from crypto, startups and users often operate in isolation, without the support or integration with mainstream systems that would drive wider adoption.

Access to capital and Support- Builders often lack funding, mentorship, or visibility beyond the local ecosystem. This has strongly stifled the level and pace of innovation we’re seeing in the country. There’s been a recent uptick in grant/incubator related activities as such, we’re emerge with newer but better ways of solving existing problems. E.g; Azza, which has received active support and grants from Base and Solana.

4. Centralized Exchanges: Which central exchanges operate in your country? Do any support Scroll? If so, what assets are available on Scroll?

Binance, KuCoin, Bybit, and Luno are among the centralized exchanges actively used in Nigeria. Binance remains the most dominant, though it recently faced regulatory pressure. At present, Scroll is not natively supported on the more popular exchanges operating in the country, but assets can still be accessed through DEXs on Layer 2 platforms or by bridging. This lack of direct access presents an opportunity for onboarding via local DeFi tooling and education.

5. Local Ecosystem: What Web3 or blockchain projects are based in your region? Are any already part of the Scroll ecosystem?

Nigeria’s Web3 and blockchain ecosystem is one of the most active on the continent, much of this activity is fueled by a youthful population, high crypto adoption, and deep frustrations with the inefficiencies of traditional systems. Many startups are actively building local and global solutions, attracting international capital, forming partnerships, and exploring Layer 2 integrations, making Nigeria a fertile ground for Scroll’s mission.

*** DeFi & Payments**

These projects are addressing Africa’s financial infrastructure gaps by enabling decentralized savings, remittances, lending, or payments.

  • Xend Finance – https://www.xend.finance
     A decentralized credit union platform offering crypto-based savings and lending for users in volatile economies.
  • BoundlessPay – https://www.boundlesspay.com
     A crypto banking app offering payments, virtual cards, savings, and remittances.
  • PayCrest – https://www.paycrest.xyz
     Non-custodial exchange and OTC infrastructure enabling crypto-fiat interoperability in emerging markets.
  • Canza Finance – https://www.canza.io
     DeFi-native infrastructure for FX and cross-border transactions in frontier markets.
  • LumenPay – https://www.lumenpay.io
     Payroll platform enabling Web3 teams and DAOs to pay workers in crypto.
  • Helix Pay – https://www.helixpay.io
     Supports subscriptions and recurring payments using crypto.

Infrastructure / Protocols

These projects are building core infrastructure layers for wallets, APIs, developer tooling, and blockchain protocols.

Exchanges & On/Off Ramps

These startups enable fiat-crypto conversions, targeting both retail and institutional segments.

  • Yellow Card – https://www.yellowcard.io
     A leading crypto on/off-ramp with pan-African operations and a major Nigerian footprint.
  • Chipper Cash – https://www.chippercash.com
     While multi-regional, it plays a critical role in Nigeria’s crypto transfer ecosystem.
  • Quidax – https://www.mara.xyz
     Offers a crypto wallet and exchange interface aimed at onboarding millions of African users.
  • UseAzza – A rising on/off-ramp service focused on making stablecoin access seamless for Africans by letting them trade on WhatsApp.
  • Onboard Global – a digital money app designed for creators and builders.

Education & Talent Development

There are also projects nurturing the next generation of blockchain developers and users.

Investment & Startup Studios

There are a few VCs actively investing in Web3 in Nigeria. One interesting trend that has begun to emerge is that some Protocols are partnering with existing funds and talent incubators to run accelerators and incubators. Most prominent is Lisk’s partnership with Aya Labs and CV Labs.

  • EMURGO Kepple Ventures – https://emurgo.io/emurgo-kepple-ventures
    A joint venture fund by EMURGO (Cardano’s commercial arm) and Kepple Africa Ventures, backing startups in the continent.
  • Hashgraph Africa – https://www.hashgraphafrica.com
     Hedera’s Africa-facing fund supports infrastructure and developer ecosystem growth in Web3.
  • Flori Ventures – https://www.floriventures.com
     Backed by the Celo ecosystem, Flori invests in mission-aligned founders building for financial inclusion in emerging markets, including Nigeria.
  • Microtraction – https://www.microtraction.com
     Early-stage VC investing in high-potential African tech startups, now showing increasing interest in Web3 infrastructure and consumer fintech crossovers.
  • CV VC (Crypto Valley Venture Capital) – https://www.cvvc.com
     Through CV Labs, they run accelerator programs with regional partners like Aya Labs in Nigeria.
  • Aya Ventures / Aya Labs – https://www.ayagigs.com
     Originally talent-focused, Aya has evolved into a platform investing in and nurturing African Web3 startups. Their collaboration with Lisk and CV Labs includes accelerator programs designed to build local technical and entrepreneurial capacity.
  • Nestcoin – https://www.nestcoin.com
     While also a venture studio, Nestcoin is a strategic investor in multiple crypto-native projects and has incubated products like Onboard Wallet and Breach Club.

  1. Crypto-Friendly Businesses: Are there local businesses or merchants accepting crypto payments?

A good number of businesses do collect payment in crypto, but they don’t put it out there publicly due to the uncertainty from regulators. It’s usually done through unofficial channels, which is mostly via p2p. Also, some businesses have crypto powering their underlying infrastructure, but they have it under the hood.

7. Existing Communities: Are there active Web3 communities, Telegram/Discord groups, or DAOs in your region?

There are numerous active micro and macro Web3 communities in Nigeria doing tons of work around onboarding and training. There are also active but fragmented communities of traders, airdrop and NFT enthusiasts, meme coin traders, etc. But communities like;

All focus on meaninfully growing the ecosytem and have very active groups on Telegram, Discord, and host regular in-person meetups and online education events. Many existing chains also have active communities in the country.

8. Leadership: Who will lead the Local Node? If you are suggesting yourself, why are you the right person/group to do this? You may suggest a selection process if applicable.

The Nigeria Local Node will be led collaboratively by active leaders from Web3Bridge; Ayodeji Awosika and Web3Afrika; Idris Olubisi two of the most engaged and respected communities in the Nigerian web3 ecosystem. Other contributors/leads of various ecosystems such as Kwesili Okafor, @Supercoolkay, @LifeofDan_EL

This joint leadership approach ensures inclusivity, shared responsibility, and strong grassroots participation. To ensure consistent momentum and clear communication, we have designated a coordinator who will work closely with both leading communities and all contributors to keep activities aligned and impactful. I am proposing to take on this coordination role.

About Me: Abidemi Adenle
(https://www.linkedin.com/in/abidemi-adenle-69a495164/) As an investment analyst at Emurgo Kepple Ventures, I actively support early-stage web3 startups across Africa. Over the past three years, I’ve contributed to major decentralized communities including Gitcoin, BanklessDAO, and Bankless Africa, coordinated investment memos, community growth and design strategies, and ecosystem mapping for founders and investors alike. I’ve also served as a mentor to builders via communities such as Builders Connect, helping them navigate product-market fit, incubation, and fundraising. Having worked across the investment, builder, and community spectrum, I’m uniquely positioned to coordinate this Node, ensuring structure without stifling the vibrant, collaborative energy needed.

9. Events & Hackathons: What events, meetups, or hackathons have been hosted in your region?

ETHNigeria – A regional Ethereum-focused event bringing together Nigerian developers with global Ethereum projects.

Web3 Lagos Conference – Nigeria’s flagship Web3 conference, featuring panels, workshops, and exhibitions with over 1,500 participants and international speakers.

Blockchain Nigeria User Group (BNUG) – One of the oldest and most consistent blockchain communities, hosting regular events on digital identity, DeFi, and policy.

Web3 Afrika Builders – A developer-first event series spotlighting African builders, offering technical workshops and founder showcases.

Web3Bridge – Focused on developer education and hackathons. Their Solidity bootcamps have produced engineers who now contribute to protocols like Polygon and Scroll.

Superteam Nigeria – The Nigerian chapter of SuperteamDAO, supporting builders in the Solana ecosystem through demo days, bounty competitions, founder meetups, and Twitter Spaces. Their events are increasingly popular for local devs looking to explore new L1s and contribute to global projects.

10. Proposed Initiatives: What are the first initiatives you would pursue if approved for a Local Node? Keep this at a high level. If your Regional Evaluation Proposal is accepted, then a second, more detailed proposal will be co-designed and put to a DAO vote.

There are already tons of activities happening in the ecosystem. Community and protocol initiatives exist, but they’re fragmented as everyone seems to be focusing on what’s best for them. Based on conversations with active community stewards such as Ayodeji of Web3Bridge and Idris of Web3Afrika etc, we’re proposing a phased approach, starting with high-impact campus and activation programs, this is to avoid replicating things and getting first getting a feel of what is working and what theright path for Scroll should be in the long term.

The plan is to:

Start Small, Learn Fast

  • Touch base with active communities, builders, industry leaders and even users to assess what’s working and identify gaps. This will be done through virtual calls, meet-ups, and creating feedback loops etc.
  • This would also allow us Build from existing programs, and avoid reinventing the wheel, amplify what’s already proving useful but also evaluate the best pathway for Scroll.

Double Down on Activations

  • Roll out Scroll-focused programs, meetups, and onboarding sessions.
  • Prioritize regions with existing developer talent and active communities (e.g., UNN, OAU, Unilag, Covenant, etc.).

Create Feedback Loops

  • Maintain tight cycles of feedback from activations, workshops, and demo days.
  • Use insights to inform support offerings, including grants, stipends, business support, residencies, or technical assistance.

Scale Based on Insights

  • Once community data is collected and evaluated, we scale into:

    • Builder sessions
    • Product demo days
    • Technical workshops
    • Grant-supported builds on Scroll

The first 3–6 months would be used to validate assumptions and calibrate programs accordingly.

11. Support Needed: What support do you need from Scroll to make this node successful?

Strategic Alignment - A direct liaison from Scroll’s ecosystem/devrel team to co-design programs and share global context.

Funding - To cover operational costs, campus activations, builder stipends, hackathon prizes, and microgrants.

Technical Support - Help onboarding developers onto the Scroll zk stack.
Access to Scroll SDKs, dev docs, and example projects.

Signal Boosting - Support in amplifying local builder successes to the global Scroll community.

12. Why Your Region: Why do you believe your region is the right place for a Scroll Local Node? What is your vision for your region / the Local Node over the next few years?

Nigeria isn’t just Africa’s most crypto-native country, it’s where crypto solves real coordination problems every day. From inflation and capital controls to broken trust in institutions, millions of Nigerians already use Web3 tools not out of curiosity, but necessity. Yet this raw demand hasn’t been matched by infrastructure or support. Scroll has a unique opportunity to become the zero-knowledge foundation for a new class of African applications products that won’t just copy Western ideas, but will originate locally, for local contexts.

Over the next few years, we see the Nigeria Node evolving into a launchpad for African zk-native products, a talent pipeline for the global Scroll ecosystem, and a regional coordination layer between builders, users, and capital. If Scroll is serious about decentralization and long-term relevance in the Global South, there’s no better place to begin than here.

3 Likes
2

As an active delegate and one who has contributed to the formation of this draft, I believe having a Local Node in Nigeria is very vital to Scroll, as the potential talent in the country is quite vast.

I have the full bandwidth to contribute to seeing this scale up and work long term. I look forward to other inputs from other delegates.

1 Like
3

As a developer actively building in the Nigerian Web3 space and closely aligned with communities like Web3Bridge and Web3 Afrika, I believe this Local Node will unlock massive grassroots potential for Scroll. I’m ready to contribute meaningfully to its coordination and long-term success.

1 Like
4

Thanks for putting this up @Abidemi.

I believe it’s a great idea to establish a local node in Nigeria. All the data points in the proposal regarding crypto adoption and growth in Nigeria speak for themselves. There is a strong opportunity for Scroll to establish a local presence here and strategically support builder/developer activity in key verticals, especially payments, including on/off-ramps and stablecoins, where we’re seeing the strongest traction in the region. As a resident myself, I would be keen to support on-the-ground community-building and growth efforts for the Scroll ecosystem.

Have the proposed leads communicated their willingness to lead the local node? We think it would be great if these individuals could formally introduce themselves to the DAO, either through the forum or on one of the weekly governance calls, to express their interest in leading the node. (I believe there will be some form of KYC with the Foundation for the selected individuals? I’ll let @eugene confirm.) Most importantly, we want local nodes to be led by people who are known by the DAO, can be held accountable, and will commit to being Scroll-aligned/focused.

Also, just to clarify: Are you proposing to be part of the leadership as well? If so, it would be helpful to make this clear. My understanding so far is that the local node will be led by Ayodeji (Web3Bridge) and Idris (Web3Afrika).

This is a welcome approach. However (conscious that a more detailed proposal would be submitted later), I’m very curious to see what unique strategies will be used to both bootstrap the Scroll community in Nigeria and sustain long-term activity.

1 Like
5

Hi Chris, thank you for your comments. Both Ayodeji and Idris have been active in getting the proposals together and contributing to helping shape the formation of the node as community leads and founders themselves. It was also the suggestion of the governance team that they be involved in this process. It’s my understanding that both individuals, being very strong and active community leaders, can be held accountable and commit to Scrolls’ mission. I suppose subsequent proposals will help flesh this out and bring clarity on their expertise/alignment.

1 Like
6

Yes I am. I realize I may not have been clear in the proposal. I was refered to the DAO by Sandy and I’ve had calls with Eugene on contributing to the DAO on two occasions. The way I see it, is that both Ayodeji and Idris will act not just as leads, but also as strategic advisors considering their access to the existing communities we’ll looking to work with or onboard. Outside of my expereince and ideas I’d like to contribute, my role would mostly be Ops and admin related. i.e, coordinating the day to day work that keeps things going and ensuring that work gets done, KPI’s are set and met etc.
I hope this provides some clarity. Hopefully, the local node proposal will detail this a lot more.

2 Likes
7

This is a solid first step!
Nigeria is undeniably ripe for zk adoption — with a young, tech-savvy population, growing developer talent, and a hunger for real-world solutions that Web3 (and Scroll) can offer. The groundwork has clearly been laid, and the local leaders mentioned bring both credibility and grassroots experience.

Love the phased, “start small, learn fast” approach — it respects what’s already working while leaving room to grow with intention. Can’t wait to see how this evolves into a full proposal.

Nigeria isn’t waiting for the future, it’s building it.
Scroll has a massive opportunity here to co-create something truly meaningful with the community.

Count me in for support and feedback as this progresses!