Binance CEO Meets Senegalese and Ivory Coast Presidents, Says ‘Africa Is Primed for Crypto

Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Binance, tweeted that he recently held meetings with the presidents of Senegal and Ivory Coast. The meetings are part of his initiative which is aimed at driving up the adoption of cryptocurrency in Africa and beyond.

CZ’s Meeting With the Senegalese President

The CEO of Binance, Changpeng Zhao (CZ), tweeted on July 6 that he’d met Senegalese president Macky Sall and the central bank. However, CZ neither shares details of the meeting nor does he identify officials from the central bank that were present at the meeting.

Still, in the same Twitter thread, CZ spoke of how he and President Sall had exchanged gifts. He said:

In Sénégal, meeting HE Mr President, Central Bank, and Binance Angels. Mr. President gave us a beautiful painting from a local artist, I haven’t opened it yet. Will share a photo later in this thread. We gave him a BNB challenger coin (much lower value ) he was holding in the pic.

Zhao’s tweet about his meetings in Senegal came just a few hours after Binance Africa shared pictures of CZ attending another meeting in Ivory Coast. The Palace of the Presidency of the Republic of Ivory Coast also released a statement which summarized the discussions between President Alassane Ouattara and Zhao.

The Financial Inclusion Cause

Before sharing details and pictures of his meetings with the two Presidents, CZ explained in another tweet why the African continent, where millions of people are still financially excluded, is “primed for crypto adoption.”

“Africa is primed for crypto adoption. 10-20% banked. Need financial access and inclusion. Blockchain provides that with a smartphone,” CZ tweeted.

CZ, who has also held talks with the leaders of El Salvador and Kazakhstan, claimed in another tweet that he is “working on adoption all around the world.”

While a majority of his Twitter followers commended CZ for his efforts, one Twitter user named e-king questioned the CEO’s belief that Africa is now ready for adoption.

“Do you really think the unbanked in Africa have access to smartphones and the internet?” the user asked.

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Terence Zimwara

Terence Zimwara is a Zimbabwe award-winning journalist, author and writer. He has written extensively about the economic troubles of some African countries as well as how digital currencies can provide Africans with an escape route.