The Forge
Where novel ideas are pressure-tested against African reality. This is our fuzzer for financial innovation.
About Us
Who We Are...
Founded in 2024 by visionary leader Lorraine Marcel, Dada Devs was born from a simple observation. Africa has world-class engineers, yet very few women are contributing to the open-source code that powers Bitcoin.
What began as a vision to bridge that gap has evolved into the first initiative dedicated to advancing female engineers into Bitcoin’s open-source ecosystem.
We guide experienced developers through the practical side of Bitcoin: understanding the protocol, building on Lightning, running nodes, and collaborating on code that strengthens the network. We build in the open, contribute upstream, and create pathways for engineers to leave a permanent mark on the world’s most resilient financial system.
Why We Exist
Africa’s financial systems are fragile, yet its talent is extraordinary.
Bitcoin offers a foundation for sovereignty and resilience, but the builders behind it don’t yet reflect the people it can serve.
Dada Devs exists to close that gap, equipping African female engineers with the technical depth and context to build on Bitcoin itself.
We focus on what matters:
- Understanding the Bitcoin and Lightning stack.
- Building real applications for African realities.
- Collaborating across open-source projects.
Every builder who joins Dada Devs becomes part of a network proving that African engineers belong at the core of global Bitcoin development.
Our Journey So Far
Our initial parameters have been stress-tested and the results are chainable. The caliber of talent and the velocity of execution from our earliest builders confirmed a powerful market signal: the demand for deep, protocol-level expertise in Africa is not latent; it’s ready for mainnet.
Our development lifecycle:
The Protocol Deep-Dive
Where we replace theoretical knowledge with the muscle memory of C++, Rust, and the Bitcoin Core codebase. This is where builders earn their stripes.
The Gossip Protocol
A sovereign mesh network of alumni, mentors, and core contributors. This is the persistent layer that ensures knowledge propagates and support is never centralized.
Core Pillars of Our Initiative
Inside Our Labs
Bitnob X DadaDevs Developers Bootcamp
DadaDevs Bootcamp
Bitcoin Development Bootcamp
Panel on Bitcoin and Women in Tech
Meet The Team
Dada Devs is powered by passionate open-source contributors, mentors, and developers from across Africa.
Lorraine Marcel
Founder/C.E.O
Wandia Mugo
Program Director
Precious Okoro
Communications & Brand Lead